


Special Delivery

by storywriter55



Series: Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure [10]
Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Childbirth, Crime, Gen, Pregnant Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:27:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28754373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storywriter55/pseuds/storywriter55
Summary: As Sara prepares to deliver their daughter, Neal works on a case than spans the ocean. Part of 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure' series (Week 40)
Relationships: Neal Caffrey/Sara Ellis
Series: Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995649
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

‘So, any exciting cases on the horizon’ Neal asked as he fell into step with Peter on Pearl Street.

‘Not that I know of, still cleaning up after the Morris case’ Peter replied as he eyed his CI up and down. For a guy who wasn’t getting much sleep these days, he still managed to look pretty well put together. Except for those noticeable bags under his eyes.

‘How’s Sara doing?’ he asked.

‘As well as can be expected considering she could pop at any minute’ Neal replied. ‘Yesterday was her due date and she’s fed up, she’s not sleeping well.’

‘I guess that means you’re not sleeping well either’ Peter commented.

Neal shrugged. ‘It’s just sleep. I don’t have to put up with the swollen ankles, constant heartburn and forty pounds of excess baggage.’

‘That must be so uncomfortable’ said Peter, lowering his voice and looking around to make sure he wasn’t overheard. ‘She’s humongous!’

Neal gave his handler a wary glance. ’Believe me, you don’t want her to hear you say that. She'd probably come at you with her baton. She is _so_ sensitive right now. She cries at the drop of a hat and this morning she yelled at me because I left my socks on the floor by the bed.’

He sighed. ‘She’s frustrated and who can blame her. She can barely get up off a kitchen chair, let alone the couch or the bed.’

‘Regrets?’ asked Peter, studying his partner’s face.

Neal scoffed. ‘Of course not. I just want this all to be over. We can’t wait to see the baby and bring her home.’

His mood seemed to change and his face grew brighter. ‘Did I tell you I finally finished the mural in her room?’

‘Wow, that was one long project’ Peter said. ‘Didn’t you start back in November?’

‘I did… and I’m really happy with the result.’

He suddenly got an idea. ‘Why don’t you and Elizabeth come over and see it tonight - maybe it’ll help Sara get her mind off things.’

Peter frowned. ‘I don’t know Neal… I kinda prefer not get in the line of fire.’

‘Actually, she manages to control herself around other people’ Neal replied as they arrived on the front steps of the Federal Building.

Diana was standing there, waiting for them to catch up.

‘Good morning’ she called out.

Peter greeted her with a smile. ‘Shall we go find out what awaits us up on the 21st floor this fine morning?’

Everyone seemed busy at their respective tasks when the elevator doors opened. Jones waved as Peter walked by and Neal went to sit at his desk, setting his coffee cup down next to his Socrates bust. He went back to the files he’d been perusing the day before, fighting both boredom and fatigue.

Coffee. That’s what he needed. A refill of his almost empty cup with the infamous FBI swill.

‘Caffrey’ Jones called out as Neal walked past his desk on his quest for a cup of joe. ‘Check this out.’

Neal leaned over his shoulder, looking down at his computer screen.

‘A single piece of art was stolen last night from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Who takes just one piece?’

‘What is it?’ asked Neal, intrigued.

‘Um, let’s see... a sculpture called ‘Le sarcophage des époux’. Ever heard of it?’

Neal searched his memory. ‘Yeah, I’ve heard of that piece. Beautiful but not worth breaking into the Museum of Art for. Do you think the thieves were interrupted?’

‘Not that I can tell’ answered Jones.

Neal’s eyes brightened. ‘Let’s take this to Peter’ he said. ‘Anything so I don’t have to look at another mortgage fraud case.’

WCWCWC

Sara arrived home from her brief walk and prepared for the long, slow climb up to the third floor. In her present state, climbing the stairs was arduous and downright dangerous and Neal had been on her case about waiting for him to be home before venturing down the staircase. Not that Sara Ellis was the obedient type. Now that she was home full time, she was downright bored and besides, what Neal didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

With her due date looming, she’d been trying all the well known tricks reputed to induce labour including exercise, castor oil and spicy foods. She’d also been trying to get Neal interested in sex, another well known labour inducer, but contrary to just weeks earlier, Neal had seemed distant and uninterested. Can you blame him, she reflected, I’m as big as a house and he can barely reach the interesting parts.

She was staring at the foreboding climb ahead when she heard June coming out from the back of the house.

‘Good morning Sara’ the older woman said in her usual calm voice.

‘Hi June’ Sara replied, already out of breath. ‘Do you mind if I sit here for a minute before I tackle these stairs. It’s gotten almost impossible lately.’

June took her arm and led her over to the nearby settee. ‘Frankly, you shouldn’t be navigating those stairs by yourself in your condition. What if you had a contraction on your way up?’ she said, her voice full of concern.

‘You sound just like Neal’ Sara replied with a loud sigh.

June raised an eyebrow.

‘Anyway’ Sara continued, ignoring the look of rebuke. ‘I’ve been having contractions off and on for the past week but the doctor says I haven’t started dilating yet so it’s not going to be for a few days, I’m afraid.’

‘You know Sara, you’ve just given me an idea’ June said, helping Sara to her feet. ‘Come with me, I want to show you something.’

Sara followed June into a section of the house she’d never seen before. Beyond the kitchen and dining room, there was a corridor that led to some rooms, one of which June led Sara into. It was a beautiful bedroom with a large window overseeing the back garden of the house. It had a king size bed and although it was obviously a room which had been occupied by a young woman, it was tastefully decorated and open and airy.

‘This was my daughter’s room before she got married and moved away’ said June. ‘You know, I’m leaving tonight to visit her in Florida. Why don’t you and Neal move down here until the baby’s born. You’ve got everything you need down here, the kitchen is just down the hall, dining room, living room and anything else you could possibly need. That way, you wouldn’t have to navigate the stairs… and I would feel so much better knowing you’re not going up and down that staircase when I’m not here and Neal is at work.’

‘Wow, that’s quite an offer’ said Sara looking over the space. It was certainly all they needed and more and it would make coming in and out of the house a lot easier. ‘Why don’t I talk to Neal about it when he gets home’ she said, nodding.

‘June!’ they heard in the distance: Neal, sounding rather frantic. ‘June, are you home?’

‘Back here’ said June as she and Sara started back towards the front of the house.

‘June, Sara’s not upstairs. Do you know where she–‘ 

He stopped suddenly, coming face to face with his landlady with his fiancée following close behind. He gave a heavy sigh and grabbed Sara’s arm, pulling her to him.

‘There you are! What the hell are you doing down here? Did you come down by yourself?’ he said, visibly upset. ‘And where’s your cell phone? I’ve been calling you for over an hour.’

Sara tapped her jacket pocket. ‘Oops’ she said, making light of the situation. ‘I guess I left it upstairs.’

Neal’s breathing grew loud and irregular. ‘Sara… you can’t be doing this. I’ve been worried sick.’

‘Neal, I’m a grown woman who’s totally lost control of most of her body parts. Can you please cut me some slack?’ she said, rather harshly. She immediately regretted her tone of voice and looked down, embarrassed to be rebuking her baby daddy in front of June.

June cleared her throat before speaking. ‘Why don’t I leave you two to talk’ she said, walking away.

‘Look, I’m sorry’ Sara said after a moment. ‘I know I haven’t been the easiest person to live with lately.’

Whereas a moment earlier she’d been defiant, Neal could see her bottom lip quivering as emotions got the better of her.

‘It feels like this baby is never going to come’ she moaned as she let herself fall into a nearby armchair.

Now that he knew she was safe, Neal began to relax, taking a seat on the arm of her chair and placing his hand on her back. ‘I know… I know’ he said. ‘You’re miserable and uncomfortable and you’ve been going on just a couple of hours sleep a night for the past week.’

Her tears morphed into soft sobs. ‘How do you put up with me?’

He smiled despite himself. Sara’s moods were a crapshoot these days and were apt to change at the drop of a hat. He brought his lips to rest on the top of her head, depositing a kiss.

‘Babe, I get. I’m just as anxious as you are for this to be over… and I know you’re exhausted.’

Sara smiled feebly, trying her best to rein in her emotions.

‘June had a suggestion’ she said, sniffling. ‘She’s offered us a bedroom down here on the main floor so I don’t have to do the stairs.’

‘That’s a great idea!’ Neal said, getting to his feet. ‘Why don’t I run up and get what we need for tonight? You just sit here and relax, all right’ he added before disappearing up the stairs.

WCWCWC

As they lay in bed that night in their new digs, Neal prepared to do his usual schtick, laying his head by Sara’s stomach and preparing to have his nightly chat with his baby daughter. The ritual always ended with a lullaby which, on this occasion, was ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’. Although she teased him incessantly for the sentimental drivel, Sara had never found him sexier and she let him know in no uncertain terms when he finally settled on the pillow beside her. She snuggled up to him, sending all those not so discreet cues he was usually more than happy to act on. When she reached down to gauge his interest, Neal gasped and, taking her hand away, he kissed her knuckles and offered the crook of his arm. 

‘Let’s just cuddle’ he whispered. 

Sara settled in, disappointed once again - she was pregnant not dead and she was still very interested in getting it on with her hunky fiancé although apparently, Neal was not. They hadn’t had sex in almost two weeks and she was definitely missing the intimacy. He’d never before rebuked her advances but, in truth, she couldn’t really blame him, considering she could barely turn over in bed, let alone participate in their usual vigorous sex.

She settled in his arms, intent on keeping quiet - after all she had her pride - and she prepared for another sleepless night.

WCWCWC

Sophia Montoya strode confidently into the room and spotted her cousin standing by the bay window which looked onto the estate’s gardens. He was tall and lean and his light colouring belied his Italian heritage. When he heard her come in, he turned, opening his arms to her.

‘Hi Nick’ she said, kissing him on both cheeks.

‘Hey cuz’ he replied. ‘How are you?’

She shrugged. ‘Are we the first ones here?’

‘My mom’s upstairs with him’ he said, pointing in the general direction of the main hall to the sweeping staircase.

‘Have you heard anything from your dad?’ he continued.

‘Just a text saying _Mission accomplished_ but that’s it. His flight is landing as we speak.’

‘Hey sis’ they heard from the doorway.

They both turned to find a handsome young man with dark features and a mischievous smile.He was slightly shorter than his cousin but stockier and his dark eyes sparkled as if they held a secret.

‘Hey Joe’ they both said in harmony.

‘Dad just called. His flight just landed at Marco Polo and he’s coming right over’ Joe said, walking into the room.

‘I hate this’ said the young woman. ‘Why is Nonno making us do this?’

‘You know why’ answered Nick. ’It’s for our family honour. He’s a dying man Soph and this is what he wants more than anything before he goes.’

‘What? For all of us to do jail time?’ she replied wryly.

‘Not if we do it right. There’s no reason for anyone to put these individual thefts together and link them us’ said Nick.

As the eldest of the grandkids, Nicolas had always had the closest relationship with his grandfather Giuseppe. Nick had only been six years old when his dad died and he and his mom had moved in with his grandfather. He would do just anything for him, anything so he could be at peace with the past and leave this earth serene and peaceful.

There was a commotion in the hallway and his mother appeared pushing along his grandfather’s wheelchair.

‘Nonno!’ Sophia called out as she ran to his side. As the only granddaughter and, at twenty-two , the youngest grandchild, she had a special place in his heart and he in hers. She bent down to kiss him as he smiled meekly. She could see that his health had deteriorated greatly since she’d seen him three weeks earlier.

‘Hi Zia Alessandra’ she said to her aunt as she kissed her cheek.

‘Hello cara mia’ the older woman answered. ‘Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes. Shall we wait for Enzo?’ she asked of no one in particular.

‘Traffic can be hell at this time of day’ opined Joe. ‘Let’s get started and he’ll join us when he gets here.’

They each took their place at the table with Giuseppe at the head, symbolic of his all important place in the family. He was a broken man. At eighty-eight, he had recently suffered a second stroke, this one more severe than the first and his health had gone downhill ever since. He sensed his health wasn’t going to hold out much longer and with that in mind, he had gathered the family a month earlier to confide in them about an aspect of the family’s history he’d never before shared.

As his son, daughter and grandchildren gathered around the great room with a fire burning in the large brick fireplace, he’d proceeded to tell them the story of his great grandfather, Giampietro Campana. The story had been retold from generation to generation and when he was a young boy, Giuseppe’s grandfather had recounted what was to the family a shameful episode and a smear on the family name. Giampietro had been a Marquis in Rome and had died in disgrace after being banished from his homeland by the Vatican for alleged misappropriation of funds. Before his banishment, the Marquis had acquired an important collection of art mostly of Roman and Greek origins. The man had been fascinated by archeology and had financed many digs through which he acquired an impressive collection of jewels, art and archival documents. This collection was his pride and joy and when he was deported, all was lost and given to a number of museums, most notably the Louvre. Over the years, the Louvre had lent some of the pieces from its Campana collection to museums around the world and Giuseppe had become convinced that the only way to restore the family’s good name and its reputation was to retrieve items from that collection and return them to their rightful owners, the extended Campana family.

Seeing the intensity in the old man’s eyes as he told the story of his great-grandfather and what these recoveries would mean to him, they had all agreed to help restore the family name. The plan had thus been hatched and their fates sealed. They would each carry out one theft in a different museum, in cities scattered around the United States and return to Venice with the coveted treasures.

Hence, Sophia and Joseph’s dad Enzo had been dispatched overseas to fetch the first of these coveted treasures, a sculpture known as ‘Le sarcophage des époux’.

They ate in silence, waiting for the return of the prodigal son, hoping all had gone according to plan and that customs had been cleared without incident.

As dessert was served, they heard the front door open in the distance and they all turned to face the door as Enzo brandishing a package in his hands.

‘Special delivery’ he called out.

WCWCWC

‘Peter, I’m telling you, it’s just weird. There were dozens of much more valuable items sitting right there next to this sculpture. Why was it the only thing taken?’ Neal said, feeling the adrenaline rush he craved when a new case came on the scene.

Peter sighed. His CI’s instinct were rarely wrong when it came to this kind of thing.

‘I suppose we could pay the Museum a visit’ he said. ‘Have a look at their camera footage, see what we can find out.’

He turned to Diana. ‘Find out who the curator is, will you?'

Neal was on his feet, ready to go. ’His name’s Henri Cassall’ he said. ‘I’ve known him for years. I’m sure he’ll cooperate.’

Peter scoffed, unwilling to admit he was impressed with Neal’s contacts in the art world. For a guy who had ‘allegedly’ robbed many institutions, he’d managed to made friends on both sides of the fence.

‘All right then’ Peter said, reaching for the phone. ‘Let’s give him a call.’

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

First thing in the morning, Neal climbed the three flights of stairs up to his apartment in order to shower and prepare for the day. The move down to June’s quarters had left him feeling reassured and Sara had promised to refrain from stair climbing and stick to staying on the main floor. He collected some clothing and personal items for Sara and headed down to make some tea and toast for her before heading out to the office.

He found her softly snoring and set up her breakfast tray nearby, leaning down to kiss her goodbye. He was relieved to see she was finally catching up on her sleep. Any day now, she’d be going into labour and she would need all the energy she could muster to see her through. Beyond the excitement surrounding the impending birth, she was in constant discomfort and Neal knew she harboured some anxiety about the actual birthing process.

As he watched her sleep, he was overcome with a wave of affection for her and their new life and he flashed back to the night, three weeks earlier when she’d accepted his proposal. They were building on solid ground now and he looked ahead to their new life with newfound optimism. His job now was to support her through the next few days and weeks as they adapted to the new addition to their family.

He jotted down a quick note and placed it on his pillow.

_Today could be the day! Love you Repo. Neal xx_

He checked his cell phone one last time, making sure the battery was fully loaded and the ringing activated and he headed out the door to meet his handler. He and Peter had secured a meeting with his old friend Henri Cassall at the Metropolitan Museum and had agreed to meet up a few blocks away at a local Starbucks. 

‘Hey Peter!’ Neal called out as he spotted him at the coffee counter.

‘Good morning’ Peter replied, handing his CI a fresh cup of coffee. ‘How’s the father-to-be this morning?’

‘Not too bad. Hoping today is the day!’

‘Well, you’re gonna love this’ Peter said as they headed out. ‘I had Jones put out an alert for similar heists in other cities and we got a bite overnight. A plaque called ‘Cortège de jeunes Bacchants et Bacchantes ivres’ – was taken from the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas yesterday.’

Neal grimaced at Peter’s mangling of the French language. ’Oh yeah? Another one where the thief only took one item? Same MO?’

Peter sure knew how to get his attention.

‘Yeah, just the plaque. Not sure about the MO. I guess we’ll find out more when we talk to your friend at the Met’ said Peter.

One of the things Peter Burke found most annoying about Neal Caffrey was how he was always treated to a hero’s welcome whenever he walked in somewhere. This morning was no exception. Upon arrival at the museum, Neal was greeted with a warm hug from his acquaintance Henri Cassall and Peter couldn’t help but wonder what the nature of the relationship had been.

‘Bonjour Neal’ said Henri, opening his arms to his old friend.

'Henri! Comment vas-tu, mon ami?’ responded Neal in flawless French.

Peter rolled his eyes at Neal’s showboating - a familiar sight.

‘Très bien, j’ai peine à croire que l’on se retrouve dans la même ville et que l’on ne se voit jamais’ said Henri.

‘Je sais’ Neal replied. ‘C’est incroyable, n’est ce pas? Laisse-moi te présenter mon collègue.’

Neal turned to Peter who was looking like he was watching a tennis match but didn’t know the score.

‘Peter, this is my old friend, Henri Cassall’ he said as Peter put out his hand in greeting.

‘Thanks for agreeing to meet with us’ the agent said. ‘We were hoping to talk to youabout that theft a couple of nights ago.’

‘Ah! ’Le sarcophage des époux’? said Henri with his distinct French accent. ‘It was an unusual theft for sure. The thief came in through the service door, managed to disable the security system and proceeded to the main room where we have the visiting exhibits.’

‘So this piece is not a part of your permanent collection?’ asked Peter.

‘Non, it is visiting from the Louvre for a few months’ Henry explained.

‘Are there other pieces visiting from the Louvre’ Neal asked, curious.

‘Yes, but none from the Campana collection’ said Henri.

‘Is there any chance we can look at the security footage?’

‘Yes, certainement’ said Henri as he led them to an office at the back of the gallery. ‘Fortunately, our security cameras are on a different system so we did get footage of the theft.’

They sat while Henri brought up the footage from the night of the theft. 

Peter glanced over at Neal, murmuring under his breath. ‘How do you do that French thing?’ 

Although he hated to compliment Neal for fear he’d get a swelled head, he couldn’t help but be impressed with the many skills Neal brought to the table and his ability to slide into any social situation with ease and charm.

‘It just takes a little motivation to learn, you could do it if you wanted to Peter’ he said, smiling that annoying Caffrey smile that always put the FBI agent on edge.

‘Here we are’ said Henri, calling attention to the monitor.

There was minimal lighting, just enough of a glow to make out someone coming in from the south door of the gallery and walking directly towards the sculpture. The figure was definitely male and was dressed totally in black with a balaclava covering his face. He made short work of removing the glass covering the sculpture and placed it in what appeared to be a black bag before leaving, the whole operation taking all of ninety seconds.

‘Henri, do you have any theory as to why this piece was targeted?’ Peter asked as he tried to get a sense of who might be interested in this particular piece of art.

‘I don’t’ said Henri. ‘We have much more valuable pieces in this exhibit and with the alarm disconnected, the thief would have had plenty of time to forage and help himself to other more valuable pieces.’

‘Well, obviously not more valuable than this one. At least for the thief’ said Neal, knowing all toowell that people gravitated to certain objects for reasons other than their monetary value.

‘Well, thank you for your help’ Peter said. ‘Can we call on you again if we have more questions?’

‘Certainement’ said Henri with a wide grin. ‘Neal, toujours un plaisir de te revoir.’

‘Et moi de même!’ replied Neal, shaking his hand warmly.

Peter rolled his eyes. All this pretentious mutual admiration in a foreign language was making his stomach turn.

Once outside, and seeing it was a beautiful day, the two men decided to walk back to the office. Neal fell back and Peter glanced over his shoulder to see what the hold up was.

‘What’s the matter? You forget to give your little friend a ‘French’ kiss?’ he taunted.

Neal gave him a dirty look. ‘No… if you don’t mind, I’m just going to check on Sara, see how she’s doing’ he said taking out his phone.

They resumed walking as Peter eavesdropped on Neal’s half of the conversation. His young CI seemed to be handling impending parenthood pretty well but then again Neal Caffrey could hide his true feelings and apprehensions better than anyone he’d ever met. Maybe, by listening in, he could pick up on subtleties in Neal’s body language - even if it was unconscious on Neal’s part.

‘Hey Sara, it’s me’ he heard Neal say. ‘How’d you sleep?’

‘That’s good’ he said with a dopey smile that seemed to be the norm these days.

‘You’re welcome’ he continued. ‘Did you eat everything? Even the banana?’

Peter rolled his eyes. Neal could be such a suck.

‘Good, you need your potassium’ Neal said, oblivious to Peter’s body language. ‘Are you sure you’re up for it?’

Peter’s curiosity was piqued. Was Sara planning to run a marathon or join Cirque du Soleil as an acrobat?

‘All right. Just… just don’t wander too far and be careful. And don’t forget your phone this time. And call me if —‘

Sara must have cut him off because Neal stopped talking suddenly. ‘I love you’ he whispered, seemingly embarrassed that Peter was listening in. ‘I’ll be home around five.’

‘So she’s good?’ asked Peter as they continued their walk back to the office.

‘Yeah, yeah, she’s good’ said Neal, distracted.

‘What is it you’re not telling me?’ said Peter, reading between the lines.

‘Nothing in particular – there’s just been a little more tension between us lately. We’re both anxious for the baby to get here and Sara’s been acting a little… strange the last few days.’

‘Well, that’s understandable. Giving birth must create some anxiety, don’t you think?’

‘I guess’ Neal replied, tentative. ‘I’m trying to do everything right so I don’t upset her but…’

‘But what?’

Neal shrugged and Peter could see his cheeks redden. ‘Well… for one thing, she’s still really interested in sex and I’ve been putting her off for a couple of weeks. I think she's ticked off.’

‘Why are you putting her off?’ Peter asked.

Neal rolled his eyes as if it were a no-brainer.

‘What, you’re not… interested?’ asked Peter, embarrassed to be having this conversation on a street corner in downtown Manhattan.

‘Are you kidding?’ Neal said, avoiding Peter’s probing gaze. ‘She’s… hot, she’s never been sexier than since she’s been pregnant. But I’m trying to keep my hands off her and it’s not easy. Let’s just say I’ve been spending a lot of time in the bathroom lately.’

‘Oooh’ exclaimed Peter, his mind going somewhere he’d rather not go.

‘In the shower, Peter – having a cold shower. Get your mind out of the gutter!’

‘Well, what’s the problem, then? She wants sex, you want sex. Seems like there’s an easy solution to me.’

‘She’s just so… you know…’ Neal said, holding his hands out against his stomach.

Peter stared back, totally confused.

‘She’s so big, what if I hurt her or I hurt the baby. I don’t want to .... break anything’ Neal said, a little boy who wants to take that cookie but is resisting.

Peter stifled a laugh. Granted he didn’t know much about sex in the last days of pregnancy but Neal professed to know everything about Sara’s present condition.

’Well, is sex not recommended at this point in time? You’re the one who reads absolutely everything about pregnancy online.’

‘Well, I didn’t look _that_ up’ Neal said, annoyed.

He shrugged. ’Maybe I can ask Dr. Cooper about it at our appointment tomorrow.’

Peter appeared relieved the awkward conversation was coming to an end.

’All right then, let’s go Romeo’ he said. ‘Time to go fight some crime’ he said leading Neal up the steps of the Federal Building.

WCWCWC

Sara’s outings were few and far between these days. She was trying to stay close to home and always had her trigger finger on her phone so she could speed dial Neal when the moment finally arrived. But Elizabeth was family and so when she suggested they have lunch, Sara agreed as long as it wasn’t too far from home. They settled to meet at a gourmet pizza place about a mile from Neal and Sara’s apartment. On the way back, she could always get a cab if she was too tired to walk.

Sara picked the spiciest item on the menu – another labor inducer she had read about – and tucked into her meal.

Elizabeth looked great, she thought, as she checked her out, enviously. She was wearing those great strappy shoes Sara would kill to be able to stuff her swollen feet into and looked svelte and healthy. Sara, on the other hand, was feeling totally unattractive these days, especially following Neal’s rebuff again the night before.

‘For someone who’s about to have a baby, you look amazing’ said Elizabeth from across the table.

Sara laughed out loud. ‘Well, I sure as hell don’t feel it. And I wish Neal felt that way about me. I may look like _this_ ’ she said pointing to her stomach ‘but I’m still really hot for him. How can I be expected to lie there next to him and not want to jump his bones, especially with this spike in hormones?’

‘What are you talking about? We all see the way Neal looks at you. He thinks you’re amazing, he always has.’

‘Then why doesn’t he want to have sex with me? I started with subtle hints but I’ve been practically throwing myself at him the last few nights and he keeps putting me off. I bet he finds me hideous’ she said with a decisive pout.

‘I really doubt that, Sara. Did you talk to him about it?’

‘Noooo. What am I supposed to say? _Don’t you like me anymore?_ It’s mortifying enough without having to confront someone directly.’She was sounding like a twelve year old with a really bad school crush.

‘Sara, this doesn’t make any sense. Talk to him. Or talk to Dr. Cooper. Don’t you have an appointment tomorrow?’

‘Yeah, if I make it till then’ said Sara looking discouraged. ‘I just want this to be over, Elizabeth.Nine months is enough! I want to see my baby and I want my body back and I want my hot sex life back too.’

She spoke a bit louder than she thought as a few bystanders glanced in her direction.

One lady, at the table next to her leaned over. ‘I hear you, honey’ she said with a warm smile. ‘Hang in there, you’re almost at the finish line.’

WCWCWC

As Peter and Elizabeth were having dinner that night, they shared the events of their day including the peculiar conversations they’d had with Neal and Sara earlier.

‘Can you believe it?’ El said, gesticulating. ‘Sara says Neal’s pushing her away and she thinks he doesn’t find her attractive anymore. That’s ridiculous. We can all see how crazy he is about her.What’s up with him, anyway?’

Peter chuckled as he thought of his own conversation with his CI.

‘What?’ said Elizabeth.

‘Neal told me today he’s spending all his time taking cold showers. They haven’t had sex in almost two weeks and he’s holding back because he’s afraid of breaking her or some stupid thing.’

‘Oh, dear....’ said Elizabeth, her mind reeling.

‘Oh, no you don’t. I know that look. You stay out of this Elizabeth Burke. It’s none of our business.’

Elizabeth looked back at him with a gleam in her eye. ‘Sure honey, sure.’

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Giuseppe Campana sat in his wheelchair with a cup of tea in his shaking hands and admired the two pieces of art his son and daughter had brought back from America. They were breathtaking and the sight of them gave him a sense of pride and accomplishment. Finally, the family’s name and reputation would be restored.

As he sat gazing at the treasures, he heard someone behind him.

‘Nonno, what are you doing down here alone’ asked his grandson Nick.

‘Niccolo, nipotino’ Giuseppe said weakly.

The young man lay a hand on his grandfather’s shoulder and watched as a tear escaped his weary eyes.

WCWCWC

Neal and Peter started the morning off with a conference call to the White Collar unit in Texas.They had asked to consult with them on the previous day’s theft at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts to see if there were any similarities between the two cases.

John Carling, the lead investigator in the case in Houston was on the other end of the line.

‘Hi, John, Peter Burke here, White Collar unit, New York. I’m here with my consultant, Neal Caffrey and two of my team, Diana Berrigan and Clinton Jones.

‘Good morning, all’ came the reply from the phone on the conference room table.

‘John, we had an unusual theft here in New York this past week. One single item disappeared from the Metropolitan. The thief knew how to disconnect the security system and rather than help himself to any number of more valuable items, he chose to take a sculpture that was on loan from the Louvre.’

‘That’s an interesting coincidence. The item that was taken from the Museum of Fine Arts was also on loan from the Louvre. I’ve sent over the security footage by e-mail, do you have it yet?’ the Texan agent asked.

‘Just opening it now’ Peter said as he sent the video to the power point and the team settled in to study the footage.

‘You can see the thief appears to be a woman, dressed in black with a balaclava. She knew what she was doing and went straight for the plaque without even looking around’ said Carling.

‘I see that’ said Peter. ‘Same MO as our theft. Any thoughts?’

‘Not on this end’ the man replied. ‘To be honest, we have a few more pressing cases and we haven’t put in very many man hours on this one yet.’

‘Thanks, John, we’ll be in touch if we come up with anything’ said Peter as he hung up.

Peter looked around the room, picking up on that look he’d grown accustomed to seeing in Neal’s eyes. The wheels were definitely turning.

‘Peter, there is no way these are not connected. It’s just too weird. It was strange already but now that it’s happened twice it all the more bizarre.’

‘I agree, boss’ chimed in Diana. ‘This woman is going for that plaque with the same single mindedness we saw in the other theft. It’s like they’re on some sort of vendetta or something.’

‘Jones, any other cases like these?’ Peter asked.

‘I’ve put out a wide net but so far, these are the only two. But I’ll keep digging’ said Jones.

‘All right people, get to work. I want hear some theories on this’ Peter said as he dismissed the group.

WCWCWC

It was three days shy of forty-one weeks and enough was enough. Sara was growing increasingly desperate to the point of being prepared to do just about anything to get the ball rolling. When Neal swung by the house to pick her up for her doctor’s appointment, she was pacing on the sidewalk outside June’s.

‘What are you doing out here’ he asked as he greeted her with a kiss.

She glared at him. ’Neal, I am going nuts. This has got to end or I... I... I don’t know what I’ll do’ she said in a high pitched voice he’d never heard before.

He took her arm and led her to the waiting cab. ‘C’mon’ he said. ‘Maybe Dr. Cooper will have some good news for us.’

He felt like he was walking a tightrope. Understandably, she’d had her fill and he had no idea how he could possibly contribute to making this any more bearable for her. In the cab, he took her hand and began kissing her knuckles one by one, hoping to calm her frenzied state. She stopped fidgeting and glanced at her baby daddy, giving him a small smile, pleading silently for forgiveness for having lost her cool. Again. Neal smiled back, tucking his arm around her back as she curled up against him, enjoying his warmth and close proximity.

Once there, they settled in the busy waiting room and Sara was reminded of the day she’d sat there, alone, a little over seven months earlier, anguished and upset. Now, she was with Neal and although she couldn’t wait for her pregnancy to end, she felt safe and secure knowing she was no longer alone.

When her turn came, she was ushered in for a quick examination while Neal waited in the outer office.

‘Sara, how are you doing today?’ asked a placid looking Dr. Cooper. 

She could only guess at the response from the daggers in her young patient’s eyes.

‘Getting fed up, are we?’ she asked as she proceeded to start poking around.

Sara lay there as patiently as she possibly could; she was damn well fed with being prodded and having her uterus held hostage.

Dr. Cooper popped her head up from between the stirrups. ‘Well, there’s significant softening and thinning of the cervix’ she announced.

‘What does that mean?’ Sara asked, her voice shaking.

‘It means progress’ the doctor declared. ‘There’s also a very slight dilation.’

‘Today?’ Sara asked with a hitch in her voice.

‘Probably not. But no more than a couple of days.’

Sara sighed loudly and held back the tears that were threatening.

Dr. Cooper gave her an encouraging pat on the thigh. ‘Try to hold on’ she said.

She removed her gloves and looked Sara in the eye. ‘Any other concerns?’

Sara hesitated before speaking. ‘I’ve been… feeling really aroused lately. Is that weird?’

Dr. Cooper chuckled. ‘Not at all. Those hormones are working hard and blood flows to the sexual organs, to your breasts and that can make your feel horny. And don’t forget sex can help provoke labour so… go to town.’

She reached for a pamphlet among a group of flyers on the examination room wall and handed it to Sara. ‘Here’s a pamphlet of positions you might want to try.’

Sara looked down, noting the title: _‘Sex in the last month of pregnancy’_.

‘Positions?’ Sara repeated.

‘Well, you’re probably finding it hard to have intercourse in the missionary position and you are carrying up front so that belly takes up a lot of room. Try some of these and you can tell me if it worked when I see you in the delivery room’ she said with a playful wink. 

She prepared to leave. ’Look, I doubt very much you’re going to need it, but book an appointment for next week at this time. Now, get dressed and I’ll talk to you and your young man in my office before you go.’

When she crossed over to her office, Dr. Cooper found a nervous looking Neal waiting for her. Although he’d accompanied Sara to a number of appointments over the past few months, he still couldn’t get used to sitting in an office surrounded by plastic uteruses and charts of pregnant women in various stages of gestation. 

‘Sara will be right out’ the doctor said. ‘How are _you_ coping, Neal? I notice Sara is pretty high strung today, are you two going to make it through another couple of days?’

Neal laughed nervously. ‘We’ll do our best’ he said.

He glanced over his shoulder and taking advantage of Sara’s absence, he decided to take the plunge.

‘Dr. Cooper… I was wondering about…’ he let his voice trail.

‘Sex?’ she asked as he nodded sheepishly.

‘Well, there’s certainly no contraindication’ said Dr. Cooper.‘Many women have gone into labour after a good old roll in the hay.’

Neal looked away, embarrassed. 

‘Could I hurt the baby if I... you know, I don’t want to do any harm to either one of them’ he said.

‘Well, I can assure you that you can’t hurt the baby, she’s well protected in there. The biggest issue is comfort for the two of you.’

She opened her desk drawer and pulled out another copy of the same pamphlet she’d just given to Sara. ‘Here’s a list of positions you might want to try’ she said, handing it to Neal. ‘Frankly, I encourage it at this point. If Sara has an interest, you go right ahead.’

‘Thanks, doctor’ Neal said meekly, tucking the brochure in his jacket pocket.

The door opened and in waddled Sara who promptly plopped down next to Neal.

‘So…’ Dr. Cooper said, leaning in. 'I fully expect to see the two of you in the delivery room within the next 48 hours. Once you start having four to six contractions an hour and it continues for more than two consecutive hours, I want you to call my service and I’ll be there to meet you at the hospital. Any questions?’

Sara and Neal exchanged glances. ’No, I think we’re good’ Sara said as she attempted to stand.

Neal jumped up and put out his arms for her to latch on to. Again, Sara’s cheek reddened in embarrassment.

The drive home was quiet as the couple reflected on the days ahead. The baby was coming and soon. As scary as that was, it was also very exciting and they looked at each other, smiling as if reading each other’s thoughts.

Neal thought back to the conversation he’d had with Dr. Cooper and felt bad for having pushed Sara away. He decided he’d study the little booklet he had in his jacket pocket and see if Sara wanted to make a go of it.

Sara was also thinking about that brochure in her purse and wondering if she dared bring up sex again. The last thing she wanted was to feel the sting of rejection she’d felt the night before. They sat, side by side, with their thighs touching and it was all she could do not to jump him right there and then.

WCWCWC

Dinner was quiet as both Neal and Sara reflected on their individual discussions with Dr. Cooper. It seemed ironic that a couple as enlightened as the two of them would have insecurities about any aspect of their sex life. But the last few times they’d had sex had turned out to be stressful, especially for Neal. He’d felt so self conscious, so aware of the baby, of Sara’s sensitive breasts, of the awkwardness of her ever expanding belly that he’d preferred to refrain rather than to cause her any discomfort.

As they finished up their meal, he decided they needed to clear the air. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pamphlet he’d gotten from the doctor and set it on the table as Sara broke out in laughter.

‘Not you too!’ she said as he frowned.

‘What do you mean?’

She pulled out her own copy as Neal shook his head in disbelief.

‘Look, I don’t know what you’ve been imagining lately but I’ve been holding back because I’m terrified of hurting you… your belly, it’s…’

‘Huge, I know’ Sara chuckled. ‘But it doesn’t mean I’ve lost interest. I just figured you were turned off by the whole thing.’

‘Are you kidding? I’ve been fighting with myself to stay away.’

‘Really?’ she said with a loud sigh.

He stood and joined her on the other side of the table, pulling up the chair next to her. ‘This is ridiculous’ he said as he ran his hand over the flyer. ‘Since when have you and I ever needed help with our sex life?’

Sara chuckled nervously. ‘So you’re not turned off?’

He leaned in and kissed her, letting his lips linger on hers as he ran his hand through her hair. ‘Not turned off’ he said, his voice growing rough. ‘Very turned on.’

He turned his attention back to the pamphlet as they both leaned in to take a look. 'You up for a little experimenting?’ he asked.

‘I’m game if you are’ she replied.

‘Come on’ he coaxed as he helped her off the chair.

She waddled alongside him towards their temporary bedroom where they both sat on the edge of the bed, pamphlet in hand.

Sara seemed eager to get started and she reached over and grabbed Neal by the shirt collar, pulling him to her as she kissed him deeply. No instructions needed

He moaned in response, his tongue searching her mouth, his arms reaching out to enfold her.

‘Sara… wait’ he attempted, half-heartedly as she began to unbutton his shirt, running her hands down his chest towards his belt buckle. Then, in a move he hadn’t thought her capable of, she began to slither off the edge of the bed in an effort to get down on her knees. He caught her halfway, grabbing for her arms before she settled on the floor between his legs.

‘Babe, what are you doing?’ he said, alarmed.

‘I thought that was obvious’ she said, looking up at him with lust in her eyes.

He pulled her back up, settling her back on the edge of the bed. ‘Not on your knees. I’m not having you on your knees.’

‘What? Like we’ve never _done_ this before?’ said Sara, puzzled.

‘Not when you’re about to give birth any second’ said Neal as his state of arousal began to dissipate.

Sara pouted. ’Neal, I’m not made of porcelain.’

He dismissed her complaints. ’Come on, let’s look at this together’ he said, pointing to the little booklet once more. ‘What about this one? On a chair with both of us facing the same way. Do you want to try that?’

She shrugged. ‘Sure, let’s try it.’

He helped her off the bed and in a fit of nervous giggles, they proceeded to undress each other, Neal helping her step out of those horrendous yoga pants which were the only thing she seemed to be able to squeeze her obscenely large belly into these days. They stood there in the quiet room, buck naked, as Neal ran his hand over her gorgeous belly.

‘Nice’ he moaned as he took her hand and walked her over to a corner of the room with a small sitting area, complete with a couple of cushy chairs.

‘Here goes nothing’ he said as he took a seat on one of the chairs. Sara stood between his legs, gloriously naked and looking smoking hot as she leered down at him. He leered right back.

‘Come here’ he said, pulling her in to him.

She straddled him and slowly lowered herself until she was sitting on his lap, his arms encircling her and his face a few short inches from her protruding breasts. Her engorged boobs were one of the features of her pregnancy Neal had been particularly enjoying over the past few months and he buried his face between them as he let out a loud groan. He looked up through hooded eyes, getting back in the zone after their little misfire and Sara began running her fingers through his hair as she pushed her breasts forward toward his eager mouth. 

‘Hungry?’ she asked provocatively.

‘Mmmm...’ he sighed as his lips began tugging at her nipples, licking, sucking. Her breasts were swollen and firm, more so than ever before and he made an unusual sound as he momentarily pulled away.

She looked down as he stared ahead, licking his lips. ‘What? What is it?’ she asked, not wanting to break the burgeoning mood.

‘Colustrum’ he said, licking his lips. ‘It tastes sweet.’

In this awkward position, there was little room to manoeuvre although the feel of their bodies pressed against each other was more than enough to keep them both aroused. He returned to her breasts, humming and holding her hips to keep her as close as he could considering the huge obstacle between them.

Sara reacted by throwing her head back in pleasure, moaning as Neal continued to put his mouth to good use. He glanced up at her face, tense and strained as her mouth dropped open to let another moan escape. Why the hell had he been depriving himself of watching her fall apart like this? He let go of her back with one hand, slipping it between their bodies and down between her legs where he found further evidence of her arousal.

She groaned as his fingers found the warmth buried between her thighs.

‘Yesss’ she murmured through gritted teeth.

It took but a few seconds for her to explode like a firecracker, letting out a string of very unladylike expletives as she teetered on the edge of the chair. Neal smiled as he watched her fall apart, his breathing growing louder and more ragged.

She took a few seconds to recover and seeing the look of desire in his eyes, she leaned forward, putting her weight on her legs in an attempt to get to her feet so she could turn around. Neal watched her struggle, lending his arms for her to lean on as she finally got to her feet and with a lusty look over her shoulder, settled back into his lap, facing away from him.

This time, there was a little more room to manoeuvre and she sank down onto him without difficulty, his uneven breathing in her ear.

‘Babe…’ he murmured as she settled, engulfing him in one smooth move. She heard him gasp as he reached around, his lips on her warm back and his arms around her bulging stomach. His tongue found its way into her ear as he whimpered something that sounded like her name.

His hands reached up to cup her engorged breasts, teasing her sensitive nipples and almost bringing her to the edge once more. She rocked back and forth, creating the needed friction for both of them and… dammit, she was going to come again. She let loose with a whoosh of air and a small cry, tightening around him and making him buck up to meet her as she gasped and moaned. She was still riding her orgasm and Neal working on his release when, seeking deeper penetration, she leaned forward, losing her balance, propelled by her displaced centre of gravity.

‘Neal’ she shouted urgently as he grabbed on to her tighter to keep her from tumbling off the chair.

‘You okay?’ he asked as he stopped thrusting, the mood suddenly broken. He could feel her heart beating wildly although it was unclear if it was due to her near fall or the remnants of two consecutive orgasms.

He helped her up, his man parts still standing at attention, still short of his own release.

‘Maybe safer on the bed’ he murmured, disappointed but not quite ready to give up yet.

She looked at him, equally disappointed. ‘What about that spooning position?’ she suggested breathlessly as they both staggered over to the bed on sex legs.

‘Spooning...’ he repeated distractedly as he ran his hands up the length of her body before pulling her onto the bed.

‘Like this’ she murmured as she lay on her side, facing out and reaching for Neal behind her. He felt her overheated body against his and settled in, getting nice and close as he reached for her belly from behind, searching for her core. Sadly, the angle a little seemed off.

‘Scoot up a bit’ he whispered, his voice uneven. ‘And push your bum back — yeah, yeah, like that’ he added as he finally made contact.

She felt his hardness against her, searching for entry from this unusual position as she did her best to help him along. He let out a long, pleasurable sigh as he found his way in, pulling her closer as he began to rock in and out. It wasn’t the best angle ever but the warmth of her body, coupled with the sweet familiar scent of her skin more than made up for the unusual position.

‘Ohhh’ Sara moaned loudly.

‘What?’ Neal said, momentarily interrupting his thrusts. ‘Am I hurting you?’ 

‘No, no’ she groaned. ‘That feels so good. Dammit Neal, don’t stop.’

‘Yesssss’ Neal muttered under his breath as he got back to work. The sound of her voice, the feel of her silky skin, her big round belly… this was definitely doing it for him.

And so, it appeared the third time was the charm. Which only served to reinforce the young CI’s belief that, as in all things, there was always another way.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Sara woke to Neal gently grinding against her and whispering ‘Good morning’ suggestively in her ear. Apparently, she had unleashed a beast.

She hadn’t slept this well in weeks and was feeling totally refreshed. She responded to Neal’s coaxing by moving slightly to accommodate him as she had the night before and she began to lose herself in the sensation of his body rocking in and out of hers. This time she was careful not to interrupt his fervour, enjoying the closeness of their bodies as he held her tight. He whispered her name, his voice low and rough and before long, she felt his orgasm as he held her belly and groaned with pleasure.

As he lay back, satiated, he welcomed her in his arms with a huge smile and a deep sigh.

‘If that doesn’t get labour going, I don’t know what will’ he said, grinning from ear to ear.

‘You’ve certainly given it your best shot Caffrey’ she agreed with a naughty smile.

They lay quietly for a while enjoying each other’s company until Neal realized it was a workday and that he did, indeed, need to go to work. He slipped out of bed, leaving Sara to snooze and went up to the apartment to shower and shave. Once under the hot jets, his mind turned to the case he and Peter were working on as he wondered if there’d been any other unusual robberies. He made a quick detour on his way out, returning to the bedroom downstairs where he could hear Sara gently snoring. A quick kiss and he headed out to fulfill his duties as FBI confidential informant.

‘So, sleeping in, are we?’ Peter asked as Neal arrived a good twenty minutes late.

‘Just enjoying the last couple of days before we have to get up three times a night to feed the baby’ he said with a twinkle in his eye.

‘Well, I hope you’re on your A game Neal, because we have another bizarre theft, this time in Colorado’ Peter said, motioning to the Harvard crew to move into the conference room.

‘Jones, what have we got?’ Peter asked once everyone was settled.

‘This time it’s the Aspen Art Museum’ Jones said. ‘This whole thing is getting weirder and weirder.’

‘Same MO?’ Peter asked.

‘Single person dressed in black wearing a balaclava who took one item after disabling the security system. I’ll bring up the visual for you.’

They all looked up at the screen to discover a similar heist, only this time, it appeared to be a man of a stockier build than the first one. He did exactly as the other two had done – walking up to the coveted item, grabbing it and calmly walking away. This time it was a painting entitled ‘La sainte conversation’ and although the item was a little bulkier than the two previous ones, the thief moved swiftly and was out of camera range within less than two minutes.

‘Was this item on loan or part of their permanent collection?’ Neal asked, his mind already working away on a theory.

‘This one was _also_ on loan from the Louvre and was scheduled to stay in Aspen until next month’ reported Jones.

‘So that’s three for three’observed Diana.

‘There’s obviously some connection here’ Neal offered. ‘Why are these items from the Louvre all being targeted by this group of thieves? Could it be someone associated with the Louvre? Or do these items have something else in common that we haven’t figured out?’

‘People…’ said Peter, preparing to return to his office. ‘I want some fresh ideas by the time we reconvene at 10:30.’

The group dispersed and Neal returned to his desk in the bullpen. He couldn’t help but feel he was missing something and that the Louvre connection was a red herring. Before getting down to some serious research, he put in a quick call to Sara.

‘Hi Neal’ she said with a drawl.

‘Hi yourself’ he said lustfully as her sleepy voice put him in mind of their morning romp in the sheets. ’I miss you’ he added, his voice quiet.

‘Caffrey, you sound like a lovesick puppy.’

He laughed. ‘So…. what if I am?’

‘Did you call me from work so you could flirt and talk suggestively to me?’ she asked.

‘Maybe…’ he replied, looking around to make sure no one was listening. ‘You were amazing this morning… and last night, too’ he added with an eyebrow wag.

‘You weren’t so bad yourself.’

‘Where are you anyway, it sounds like you’re outside?’ he asked.

‘I am, I’m taking a walk around the neighbourhood, you know… to keep things moving.’

‘Anything?’

‘Naw, just a lot of gas and my feet are super swollen. Who’s sexy now?’ she added with a laugh.

‘Well, don’t wander too far from home, okay?’ said Neal reverting to his Papa Bear persona.

‘I promise’ she replied. ‘See you at dinner?’

‘You will. Love you’ said Neal before hanging up.

He booted up his computer and decided to do a little research on each of the individual items which had been stolen since the start of the case. There had to be something linking these pieces together. If it wasn’t the Louvre, what else could it be? 

It didn’t take long for him to confirm that all three pieces were from the same general era and had, at one time or another, been permanent fixtures at the Louvre. What was it Henri had said that day about ‘Le sarcophage des époux’ - that it had been part of a collection. He checked his notes from their meeting and found what he was looking for: the sculpture had been part of the Campana collection. That rang a bell so Neal started to research the history of Campana and his collected works.

As he began his online search, Jones appeared next to his desk. ‘Caffrey, you’re not going to believe this. There was another theft last night in Florida, similar MO. They’re sending over the footage. ‘

‘What’s the item?’ Neal asked.

‘Another painting – Vierge à l’enfant’ answered Jones. ‘I’ve never heard of it, you?’

‘Can’t say I have’ said Neal as he punched it into his search engine.

‘Well, what do you know, that item was also part of the Campana collection’ he added, staring at his computer screen. It was obvious he was on to something – he just wasn’t sure what yet

Peter called everyone back to the boardroom promptly at 10:30. Jones had received the security footage from the latest theft which had occurred around the same time as the one in Aspen. No surprise there, same MO, different body build, again a man, slighter but taller.That made for a total of four seemingly unrelated thefts.

‘So people, brainstorming time’ said Peter, trying to get the ideas flowing.

As he often did, Neal stood up against the wall, holding the notes he had just printed off his computer.

‘I have a thought’ he said, not waiting for Peter to acknowledge him. ‘All the items were on loan from the Louvre, that much we know but they all have something else in common. They were all part of the Campana collection. That collection had a permanent residence at the Louvre until recently when the museum began lending individual pieces to museums around the world.’

Neal continued, on a roll. ‘The Campana collection was named for Giampietro Campana who died in 1880. He financed archeological digs and collected an assortment of pieces mostly of Roman and Greek origin. He was exiled in 1857 for misappropriation of funds and his collection was sold by the Vatican. Most of it went to the Louvre and over time, the museum lent pieces to other museums worldwide which is how they ended up in all these cities. His great grandson is Giuseppe Campana and he lives in Venice. I think we should poke around and see if we can find any connection between the thefts and this guy.’

‘Okay Neal, run with that’ said Peter. ‘Any other thoughts?’

‘I don’t think we can discount the Louvre connection either’ said Diana. ‘I can work that angle.’

‘All right’ said Peter. ‘Get to work, everyone.’

As he dug deeper, Neal became convinced that what linked the art pieces was the fact they’d all been part of the Campana collection. Their origin at the Louvre was a coincidence, he thought.He looked deeper into the Campana family and found out that the patriarch, Giuseppe had two children, Enzo and Alessandra and three grandchildren, Giuseppe Jr. – who went by the name Joe, Niccolo and Sophia. What if they had each carried out one theft for some reason?

Further digging uncovered the fact that Giuseppe Campana was a dying man totally obsessed with restoring the family name and reputation. Newspaper archives quoted him as calling for the return of the items which were, according to the elderly man, rightfully the Campana family’s property. What if he had decided to take matters into his own hands and avenge his great grandfather’s memory by bringing home some of the pieces that had been torn away from the family.

‘Peter’ he said, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. ‘I think I might be on to something. These items are all part of the Campana collection, right?’

Peter nodded.

‘The patriarch of the Campana clan, Giuseppe Campana is a dying man. What if he somehow convinced his children and grandchildren to carry out these heists to recover some of the items that he feels were wrongly taken from the family?’

‘I don’t know…’ said Peter, his voice trailing. ‘It sounds a little far-fetched.’

‘People have carried out crimes for less’ Neal said. He knew more than anyone that there were many motivations for carrying out such crimes - and they weren’t always financial in nature.

‘Can we at least find out if any members of the Campana family traveled to the US on the dates the crimes were committed? I have all their names here’ he said, handing a sheet of paper to Peter.

‘It wouldn’t hurt I suppose’ said Peter. Some of Neal’s most improbable theories had led to solving cases on more occasions than he care to admit. ‘Let me look into it.’

With a solid lead behind him, Neal decided to take a walk over lunch. He was beginning to feel like a caged animal as he waited for his daughter’s arrival. Although the case was a welcome distraction from worrying about Sara, she was still constantly on his mind. Another day seemed to be slipping away without any significant movement on the baby front. 

If this continued any longer, Dr. Cooper would start talking about inducing labour which Neal knew from his research was no fun. He hoped she would go into labor naturally - but then again, neither he nor Sara had any control over how things would play out. He had done his share to get things moving last night and this morning and given half a chance, he was more than happy to give a repeat performance again tonight.

When he got back to the office, Peter had that ‘aha moment’ look in his eyes and signalled him to come up. Neal jogged up the stairs and entered Peter’s office where Jones and Diana were already waiting.

‘Caffrey’ the senior agent said. ‘I don’t know how you come up with this stuff but you’ve done it again. We’ve got a perfect match with four of the members of the Campana family flying into the cities where the thefts took place on the dates of the thefts and flying back to Venice the next day. And, get this, Campana’s granddaughter, Sophia Montoya just landed in New York an hour ago.

‘Wow, that means something’s going down tonight’ said Neal, feeling an adrenaline rush. ‘Do we know if there are any other items from the Campana collection here in town?’

‘We do’ said Jones. ‘Brooklyn Museum has a rare bracelet from the collection on display.’

‘So, there’s an excellent chance that Campana’s granddaughter is headed there tonight’ said Neal.

‘How do you want to handle this, boss?’ asked Diana. ‘Do we want to involve NYPD?’

‘Not directly’ Peter replied. ‘We don’t want to spook her. Neal, do you have your cat burglar get-up nearby?’

Neal smiled naughtily. ’You want me to be waiting in the wings when she gets there?’

Peter shrugged. ‘Maybe we can get some answers if we ambush her.’

‘Diana’ he continued. ‘Get in touch with NYPD. We don’t want them walking in on the middle of our operation. Ask if they’ll back us up with the arrest once we’ve got her but tell them to stay the hell back until I give the order.

‘On it’ Diana said, returning to her desk.

Neal was looking concerned and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. ‘Peter, there’s just one thing.’

‘You’re worried about Sara?’

Neal gave a shrug. ‘She could be going into labour any minute. I’m not sure I want to leave her alone tonight.’

‘I think I can help with that’ Peter said. ‘El was going to invite you guys over for dinner anyway – to take your mind off things. Why don’t we have Sara and El wait for us over at our place while you and I wrap this up? What do you say?’

‘Just let me run it by Sara’ he said.

He hesitated for a moment before continuing. ‘And I’d love to wrap this case up before she has the baby’ he admitted.

WCWCWC

The foursome sat in the Burke dining room, enjoying Elizabeth’s roast chicken with broccoli and rice. Sara didn’t eat much, feeling increasingly uncomfortable and just about ready to jump out of her skin. She fidgeted on her chair and Neal kept a hand on hers to help keep her grounded. With dinner over, Neal changed into his cat burglar outfit of black on black and came down, ready to leave. Sara was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and she pulled him to her as he walked by.

‘Be careful, Caffrey. You’re going to be a daddy any minute now’ she warned, frowning.

Neal ran his hand down her cheek reassuringly. ‘Repo, this is a slam dunk. We’re just going to ambush this young girl… but I promise to be extra careful, okay? Now, don’t forget to call Peter’s phone if something happens, I have to leave mine here.’

She nodded but he could see the worry in her eyes. ‘If you need me, case or no case, I’ll drop everything and come right back’ he said nuzzling her and doing his best to make her smile.

She smiled meekly, strictly for his benefit. Nesting had led to increased anxiety and she hated being away from Neal even for short periods of time. They kissed and Sara watched as Neal followed Peter out of the house and into the car.

The two men headed out to the Brooklyn Museum. Staff there had been fully briefed and were awaiting their arrival. 

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

‘You okay buddy?’ Peter asked as they drove the quiet streets.

‘Sure’ Neal replied, staring out the window.

‘You worried about Sara?’

‘I guess.. it’s just… everything’ said Neal.

Peter waited a few seconds for his young CI to continue.

‘It’s scary you know, becoming a parent.... I hope I’m up for it. I don’t want to mess up this baby’s life.’

‘What are you talking about, messing up the baby’s life? Where’s all this coming from?’ Peter asked.‘Neal, you’ve come such a long way and it’s obvious how much you love this baby already.’

Neal nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. ’Loving her isn’t the issue. Always doing the right thing and being a good model for her – that’s where I start to lose confidence. I’m far from being a good role model, Peter.’

The agent looked sideways at Neal, giving him a look that said _‘who do you think you’re talking to, here?’_

But what came out of his mouth was somewhat more supportive. ‘You think everyone who’s ever had a baby was perfect in every way?’ he asked.

‘No…’ Neal said, suddenly sullen. 'But they don’t all have a criminal record and a history in a federal penitentiary.’

‘Neal, look at yourself. Yes, agreed, you’re not perfect, nobody is. But you’re a decent, caring person and you’re surrounded by people who appreciate you and who love you despite your imperfections and although I would deny ever saying this, maybe a little bit _because_ of your shortcomings. We all have our issues and it’s what makes you the man you are.’

There was a rare sense urgency in Neal’s voice as he turned to face his partner. ’Peter, I want to do the right thing. But it’s not always easy.’

‘I know that and I see how you struggle but I also know you have a good heart and you would never intentionally hurt anyone. You know, your daughter is going to be smart, just like you, and she’ll figure it out soon enough.’

Neal shrugged and Peter could tell he was beginning to snap out of his fugue.

‘You and Sara, you’re good?’ he finally asked.

‘Yeah, we’re good’ said Neal, a smile appearing on his lips. ‘She drives me crazy at times as much as I probably make her nuts but Peter, she is so strong and I can’t imagine my life without her. Ever since I put that ring on her finger, it’s been even more amazing. Everything seems so settled now, like we know where we’re headed and we know we’re going there together.’

‘You remember when I told you that, someday, you’d be the luckiest guy?’

Neal scoffed. He’d come a long way since that night. ’Yeah, I sure as hell didn’t know what that would be for me back then but, now that it’s so clear, I’m just… well I’m just so happy, it’s scary. I just want to live up to my expectations of myself’ he said, smiling wistfully.

‘Don’t question fate, buddy. Settle in for the ride and enjoy every minute’

Neal looked over at Peter – that sounded like good advice.

Jones and Diana were waiting for them when they arrived, nestled in the van about a block away from the museum. They handed Neal a communication device so they could have ears on him and properly time their arrival. Not wanting to draw too much attention to the operation, they had kept museum involvement to a minimum. Despite having briefed the curator on the sting operation, the only person actually on site was the chief of security, a man by the name of Dwight Stevens.

He took Peter and Neal into the room where the targeted bracelet was housed and directed them to a parapet he’d installed nearby that appeared to blend in with the decor. This is where Neal was to hide and lie in waiting.

It was 8:30 and Neal settled in to wait.

WCWCWC

Sophia Montaya examined herself in the bathroom mirror of her hotel room and wondered how she had ended up here – in New York City about to steal a bracelet in order to restore her family’s honour. She’d had a rocky start with the Campana side of her family. She had spent the first fifteen years of her life living with her mother, barely seeing her dad, going so far as to take her mother’s maiden name as her own.

When she’d been old enough to understand the circumstances surrounding her parent’s separation and divorce, she’d realized her mother hadn’t been honest with her and had purposefully kept her away from her father. She rebelled, of course, and turned on her mom, spending more and more time with her dad, Enzo and the entire Campana clan. Now, she had to show them all that she was committed – her brother and cousin as well as her dad and aunt had all gone through with the assigned task and everyone was waiting back in Venice for her to return with this bracelet that had such special significance for her grandfather.

Checking herself one last time in the mirror and mentally going over the instructions that had been drilled into her, she turned and walked out the door.

WCWCWC

Sophia arrived at the museum at approximately 10:30. Everything was eerily quiet as it should be. She skulked around to the service entrance and saw the familiar layout she had been studying on paper for a few weeks. She took out her lock pick set and started on the door. It took her a little longer than when she'd practised at home but just as she was about to give up, she heard the familiar click of the door unlocking.

Was that a noise, Neal wondered from behind his hiding spot. The silence was so eerie and sitting there in semi-darkness with nothing to do but wait was starting to play games with his mind. Yes, that was definitely a noise. He whispered into his watch ‘I think I’ve got company’ and went back to listening for telltale sounds. It didn’t take long for him to hear muted noises coming from outside the room. Their young target was probably trying to disarm the security system.

Sophia was shaking and she was drawing a blank on how to do this. She could feel panic rising in her chest as the little voice inside her managed to get her attention and get her re-focussed. She knew how to do this – this is not the time to choke, she told herself, you only have one minute to do this before the alarm sounds. She fiddled with the wires behind the panel she had managed to open and finally cut the necessary connections. She took a deep breath and started for the room down the hall.

Neal saw the glow from a flashlight as he peeked around the parapet. He was now on full alert. No matter the situation and the seemingly innocuous nature of this particular sting, he’d learned long ago that you could never be too careful and this was no time to take chances. There was silence, accompanied by the movement of the light as someone stepped into the room.

He waited until the young woman stood before the display which held the bracelet and watched her work to dislodge the item. Not bad, he thought, admiring her movements. She moved quickly and stealthily and it took just over a minute for her to have the coveted bracelet in her hands. It was time for him to make his move.

‘Hello Sophia’ he said, stepping out of the shadows.

She gasped. ‘Who are you?’ she asked, trying to get a better look at him.

‘Why are you doing this?’ he asked, approaching her slowly so as not to spook her. He suddenly felt sorry for her and wondered if she’d somehow been coerced into doing this. He took the last few steps towards her and grabbed her arm, firmly yet gently. She held the bracelet tightly, not letting go. He removed her balaclava and looked into her face. She was a child, so young and innocent, with bright brown eyes and long hair that tumbled down over her shoulders when her headgear was removed.

Suddenly, there were lights and loud footsteps heading towards them and Sophia looked at Neal, pleading with her eyes for him to let her run. Out of the blue, Neal flashed forward twenty years and saw his own daughter, caught in something she hadn’t thought through and for a brief moment, he had the urge to let her escape.

Peter was there instantly as were Jones and Diana and a few uniformed NYPD, cuffing Sophia and reading her her rights. Peter asked that she be taken to the Federal Building for questioning and he walked up to Neal, hand clasped on his shoulder. 

‘Good job buddy’ he said.

WCWCWC

By the time questioning was over and they had driven back to Brooklyn, it was almost two in the morning and Neal and Peter were both exhausted from the long night. Elizabeth had gone to bed and tucked in an exhausted Sara on the couch, where she lay, snoring. 

‘Do you guys want to stay in the guest room?’ Peter whispered as the men stepped into the house.

‘I don’t know, it’s tempting but it’s always easier when you wake up at home’ he said making his way over to Sara to gently wake her.

‘Sara’ he whispered. ‘Baby, wake up.’

She opened one eye. ‘You’re back!’ she said sleepily. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Everything’s fine’ he said reassuringly. ‘Thief caught. Case closed. Do you want to stay here or do you want to go home?’ he asked, searching her eyes.

‘As painful as it is to move, we should probably go home.’

He already had his phone out, calling a cab and said goodnight to Peter, wishing him a good albeit short night’s sleep.

‘We’ll wrap everything up tomorrow’ Peter said as he headed for the stairs. ‘Great job, Neal!’

Neal helped Sara sit up and held her briefly against him.

‘How are you doing?’ he murmured.

‘Exhausted’ she replied, curling up in the crook of his arm.

‘Ready?’ he asked as he helped heave her onto her feet.

Once in the cab, Sara continued to snooze off and on with her head against Neal’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Neal’s mind was still in overdrive, analyzing the events of the evening.

‘What if our daughter makes some bad choices and gets herself into trouble someday?’ he asked, out of the blue.

She looked up at him, sleepy eyed. ’Where did this come from?’

Neal shrugged. ’We arrested this twenty-two year old girl tonight. She was trying to do the right thing for her family but it’s going to land her in jail. Our daughter will grow up someday and she’ll be making decisions that could get her into trouble.’

Sara yawned and squeezed his hand. ‘I guess all we can do is try to be good role models for her and help her develop a strong sense of self’ she said.

‘How come you’re so smart’ he said, with a long suffering sigh.

She smiled. ‘Just don’t overthink it. All we can do is give her the tools to make the right decisions for herself. You learned the hard way what happens when someone doesn’t get that guidance and despite everything, you’ve managed to find your own moral compass.’

‘Well, it’s still a struggle at times’ he admitted.

‘You’re going to be a wonderful dad Neal’ she said before letting her eyes drift shut.

They arrived home and Sara climbed out of the taxi with difficulty. Neal helped her up the few steps to the front door and they headed to their makeshift bedroom at the back of the house. 

Once in bed, he held her for a long time, listening to her breathing deepen and letting it finally lull him to sleep.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Friday morning, 7:00 a.m.

‘Feel this’ said Sara, taking Neal’s hand and placing it on her stomach.

‘Woah!’ he said as he felt her abdomen. ‘That’s as hard as a rock.’

She moaned softly. ‘Well, that’s what a contraction feels like. How long was that one?’ she said, exhaling loudly.

’Thirty-four seconds’ he replied as he reached for the notepad by the bed. ‘And the one before that lasted twenty-six seconds and it was eighteen minutes ago.’

He jotted down the new information and turned to face her in the bed.

‘Wouldn’t it be easier if I just stayed home today?’ he said for the third time.

‘Neal, I told you, there’s really no point. Dr Cooper said that once contractions start, it can take hours. We can stay in touch throughout the day and Elizabeth is coming at noon to spend the afternoon with me.’

‘You sure?’ he asked with a frown.

She reached over and kissed him. ‘I’m sure’ she said.

’All right’ he reluctantly agreed. ‘But I’m warning you, I’ll be calling every hour to check on you!’

‘Deal’ she relented. ‘So, today’s the day you close the case on those museum thefts.’

‘Yeah, we’re interviewing staff at the Metropolitan and at the Brooklyn Museum.’

‘Peter told me if you hadn’t spotted the common thread between all those thefts, they never would have been able to link it to the Campana family’ she said.

’Well, I feel bad for the kids. They thought they were doing something good for their grandfather.Hopefully, the family situation will be taken into account when they go to trial.’

‘You softie’ she said, checking the time. ‘Shouldn’t you get going?’

He wrapped his arms around her. ’Just a few more minutes’ he said, lazily. ‘This might be the last morning we get to lie here like this. With any luck, you won’t make it to tonight in one piece.’

She smiled at him and nodded.

‘I _am_ going to miss your belly though’ he added.

‘Well, that makes one of us’ she said unequivocally.

WCWCWC

9:45 a.m.

Neal sat, finishing up his report from the night before while nearby, Jones filled out the necessary forms to bring members of the Campana family back to the United States for questioning and eventually to be charged and detained.

‘So Caffrey, you must be on pins and needles’ the agent said, looking up from his paperwork.

‘Let’s just say if Sara hadn’t insisted I come to work, I would have stayed home today. But I want to save my leave days for when the baby gets here. Plus, I really want to get the paperwork finished on this case before I disappear for a few weeks.’

‘So how long will you be off for?’

‘Peter got Hughes to give me two weeks off which is great!’ Neal replied.

His phone beeped with a reminder. ‘Excuse me Jones, it’s time for me to check on Sara’ he said as he grabbed his phone and headed for a more private corner of the bullpen.

Thankfully, she replied on the second ring. ’Hi Neal’ she said with a tinge of impatience in her voice. ‘Are you really going to do this all day?’

‘Yes’ he replied unequivocally. ‘So get used to it. What’s happening with the contractions?’

‘I’ve been writing them down. Let’s see, since you left I’ve had 3 more, all under 45 seconds so I guess there’s not much change. I was just having a bit of breakfast.’

‘All right’ Neal answered with a sigh. ‘Just… keep writing those down and call me if there’s any change.I’ll call you back in a little while.’

WCWCWC

10:52 a.m.

Peter appeared before Neal’s desk, looking like a guy on a mission. ’You gonna be ready to leave for the Metropolitan right after lunch? he asked.

‘Yup’ said Neal, totally distracted.

‘And if we have time we can stop at that strip club on Hawkins and have a few shooters and maybe a lap dance’ he added, waiting for a response.

Neal glanced up blankly from his computer. ‘Yeah, sure, whatever…’

Peter walked around to look at Neal’s computer screen. As suspected, Neal was perusing a website on the stages of labor. 

Peter rolled his eyes. ‘I guess there’s no point in me telling you to snap out of it.’

‘What? Uhh... no’ admitted Neal. ‘But I do want to finish up this paperwork before I leave. By the way, thanks again for convincing Hughes to give me the time off.’

Peter placed his hand on Neal’s shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. ’Well, you deserve it, buddy. You’ve worked hard and you’ve kept your nose clean the last few months. That hasn’t gone unnoticed by the top brass, you know.’

‘You want to grab a bite before we head out?’ he added. ‘My treat!’

‘Sure, see you at noon’ said Neal, grabbing his phone once more.

After five rings, the call went to voice mail. That was _not_ good…

‘Sara, it’s me’ he said into the phone. ‘Call me as soon as you get my message, okay?’

He hung up and tried his best to get back to the file in front of him but his thoughts were running rampant. He imagined Sara lying in the apartment, unconscious or having slipped in the tub and hit her head or in terrible pain and unable to get to the phone.

He dialled again. Voice mail again, dammit!

‘Sara, call me or I’m calling 911’ he said, only half-joking.

He then called Elizabeth’s number. He exhaled when she answered on the second ring.

‘Hey poppa, how are you doing?’ she said cheerfully.

‘I’m worried about Sara. She’s not picking up her phone. Are you headed to our place soon?’

‘Yeah, I should be there within ten minutes. Don’t worry, I’ll get her to call you.’

‘Don’t forget’ Neal reminded her. ‘We’re staying on the first floor. Don’t go up to the apartment’ he reminded her.

As he was hanging up, his phone rang.

‘Hey Neal!’

‘Sara! Thank God, where were you?’

‘Umm…in the shower’ she said as if he’d asked her what colour the sky was. ‘Look, Neal, you’ve got to stop this or you’re going to end up in the loony bin before I even make it to the maternity ward.’

She paused and he could imagine her trying to rein in her frustration. ‘Please sweetie, no more calls. I promise I’ll call you if there’s any change.’

‘I can’t promise I won’t call but I’ll try to hold back for a couple of hours, how’s that?’

‘Neal…’ she said with all the patience she could muster. ‘I love you and I know you’re just worried about me but I’m fine. Now give me some space before I… lose my mind. I promise, you'll be the first to know.’

‘Okay’ he replied, sufficiently chastised.

As the day progressed, Neal fought the urge to pick up his phone every few minutes. He felt like he was going to explode. This waiting was horrible; he could only imagine how much worse it was for Sara. 

He and Peter left the office shortly after noon and headed west a few blocks on a quest for a bite to eat. They ended up at Jackie’s Diner, an upscale local spot that had a little bit of everything. Peter dug into his devilled ham sandwich and sour pickles while Neal picked mindlessly at a plate of pasta with clam sauce.

‘So, we’re headed over to the Metropolitan first’ said Peter. ‘We need to collect that footage from the first robbery.’

‘Okay’ said Neal, without much enthusiasm.

‘And then, we’ll cross town and interview the staff from the Brooklyn Museum and go through the events of last night’ Peter continued.

‘Okay’ said Neal, again.

‘Neal?’

‘Yeah?’

‘You sure you’re up for this?’

‘Yeah, yeah, sorry. I’m with you. Brooklyn then the Met.’

‘No, no, the Met, then Brooklyn.’

‘But that’ll put us across town from the hospital and it’ll probably be rush hour by then’ Neal whined.

‘Well, it can’t be helped. They couldn’t see us until 3:30 in Brooklyn’ said Peter, beginning to wish he was going alone.

They finished their lunch in silence as Peter came to the realization his partner was on another planet somewhere, holding his newborn daughter. They jumped into the car and arrived at the Metropolitan at around 1:45. Unfortunately, Henri wasn’t there to greet them. His assistant, Monica Horton welcomed them into her office.

‘So, I hear you’ve cracked the case and recovered all the art - very impressive’ she said.So, it had nothing to do with the fact that the items were on loan from the Louvre?’

‘The key was finding out the items had all been part of the Campana collection’ Peter explained.

‘Wow, I hear five family members were involved in the different thefts’ Monica said.

‘As far as we know, the family members are being extradited and will be charged here in the States’ confirmed Peter.

‘Well, Henri left the footage for you to take. He was sorry he couldn’t be here. He asked me to give you this, Mr. Caffrey.’

Neal snapped out of his reverie as she handed him an envelope as well as a small box. The envelope contained a card that read: ‘Pour la naissance de votre bébé – félicitations!’ and it was signed ‘Affectueusement, Henri.’

Neal smiled upon reading it. The box contained a beautiful silver cup engraved with the words: ‘Ma première tasse’ (My first cup). Neal thanked Monica and the dynamic duo headed out across town to wrap up its case in Brooklyn.

WCWCWC

2:55 p.m.

They'd been driving along the I-278 on the way to Brooklyn when Neal decided he could no longer contain himself.He hadn’t heard from Sara in over three hours and decided he’d been patient long enough.

‘Hey’ he said nonchalantly as she picked up. ‘How are things?

‘Good… The contractions are still coming in waves but nothing really sustained yet. I did have a couple of stronger ones but it hasn’t been consistent.’

‘Do you think it’s time to head out to the hospital?’ he asked as Peter glanced nervously in his direction. 

Sara sounded pretty relaxed. ‘There’s no point in going to the hospital too early, they’ll just send us home.’

‘How about I come home and sit with you? We’re headed to the Brooklyn Museum but I’m sure Peter can manage without me’ Neal suggested.

‘There’s no point’ Sara said in that no-nonsense tone of hers. 'Elizabeth and I are sitting here having a cup of tea and she said she’d stay with me until you get home. I’ll call if things change, okay?’

Neal sighed.

‘Neal?’ she said.

‘Yeah?’

‘I think our daughter is going to be born tonight….’ Sara said, dreamily.

‘This is really happening, isn’t it?’ he replied, just as dreamily.

‘Uh huh. See you around six?’ she said before hanging up.

The meeting at the Brooklyn Museum went as expected. Peter and Neal briefed the curator on the events of the night before and the fact that the thieves would be intercepted in Venice and brought to the States. Peter thanked him for his cooperation in letting them have use of the space as part of the take-down. The meeting lasted about twenty minutes and shortly before four o’clock, they were on the way back to the office with the case wrapped up. As expected, they were caught in traffic along the interstate with rush hour in full swing and Neal was starting to get the heebie jeebies.

WCWCWC

3:58 p.m.

‘Okay, this is moving much faster than I thought’ said Elizabeth, trying her best to remain calm. ‘I think we should start thinking about getting you to the hospital.’

Sara was bent over the edge of the bed with a particularly strong contraction and she was having difficulty catching her breath. 

‘Get… Neal on the phone’ she said breathlessly. ‘Hurry up!’

Elizabeth grabbed Sara’s phone and proceeded to press the speed dial button for Neal’s number.

He answered on the first ring. ‘Sara? Is everything okay?’

Sara reached her hand out for Elizabeth to hand her the phone. ‘Neal, where the hell are you?’ she all but screamed into the phone.

‘What do you mean _where am I?_ You know exactly where I am, we just wrapped things up in Brooklyn. I talked to you less than an hour ago. What’s the hell’s going on?’

‘Your daughter is about to be born, that’s what’s going on’ Sara shouted, barely keeping her wits about her. ‘I need you to get your ass down to the hospital.'

‘I’ll meet you there. Just… breathe. Now put Elizabeth on the phone’ he said as Peter glanced worriedly in his direction.

Sara threw the phone in the general direction of Elizabeth as she doubled over again to brace for the next wave of pain.

‘Elizabeth, what’s going on? She was nowhere near this an hour ago. What happened?’ Neal asked, unable to remain calm.

‘About half an hour ago, she started to get stronger contractions and it’s really not letting up. Her water broke about ten minutes ago. I’m putting us in a cab right now. Tell Peter what’s going on and we’ll meet you there.’

Neal had never been happier to know Elizabeth Burke was in charge. ‘It’s four o’clock and we’re across town so it’s going to take a while. You’re going to have to try to keep her calm.’

He could hear Sara screaming in the background as if she was being tortured.

‘I’ll do my best’ said Elizabeth.

‘Her bag is packed and it’s right by the bed in the back room. Do you see it?’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll get it. Just… just hurry Neal!’

WCWCWC

4:15 p.m.

Elizabeth sat in the cab next to Sara who’d managed to calm down considerably since her last contraction. Despite the short respite, she was holding El’s hand so tight, she was cutting off her circulation. 

‘Sorry about all that screaming back there’ Sara said to her friend.

‘Don’t worry about it. How do you feel now?’

Sara’s voice grew tight and shaky. ’Scared and anxious and wondering why I didn’t just say yes when Neal offered to stay home today.’

‘It’s all right, he’ll meet us at the hospital. Just try to stay calm, okay?’

‘Elizabeth, I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

Elizabeth glanced ahead at the rush hour traffic, trying to conceal her worry. She wondered if their driver had any experience delivering babies.

‘Hang on sweetie’ she told the mom-to-be. ‘We’re almost there.’

WCWCWC

5:35 p.m.

Peter dropped Neal off at the emergency entrance at Lenox Hill and went to park the car. The father-to-be arrived at the admissions desk like a gust of wind. 

‘My fiancée is here, she’s having our baby. Has she been admitted yet?’ he asked in a panic.

‘What’s her name?’ asked the clerk.

‘Sara Ellis’ he answered.

‘Okay, Mr. Ellis, have a seat and I’ll find out what’s going on.’

‘It’s Caffrey, dammit, she’s Ellis, I’m Caffrey. How many times do I have to tell you people’ he shouted before catching himself.

‘Sorry, sorry. I guess I’m just a little uptight.’

The woman smiled; this wasn’t the first time she’d had to deal with an anxious dad. ’Here we are’ she said. ‘She’s already been admitted to the maternity ward. Do you know where that is?’

‘Yeah, I’m good. Thanks’ Neal said with a tentative smile, trying to make up for his little outburst.

He climbed the stairs two by two, arrived on the floor and was immediately directed to Sara’s room.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

_‘And over here, we have our two birthing rooms’ said Rhonda, their guide._

_Neal and Sara were taking a guided tour of the facilities at Lenox Hill Hospital as part of their pre-natal class. The maternity ward was nothing like Neal had envisioned. As well as labor and delivery rooms, there were two birthing rooms that looked almost good enough to be in the pages of a magazine. There was a big three quarter bed, big enough, they were being told, for dad to climb in alongside mom, some comfortable chairs, paintings on the wall (cheap reproductions from Sears?) a large Jacuzzi and muted lighting. The only thing that gave away the fact that it was a hospital room was the medical equipment tucked away in a corner of the room._

_Rhonda continued. ‘The birthing rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis. Please indicate, when you fill out your pre-admission form, if you are interested in using one and if one is available upon your arrival at the hospital, it will be offered to you.’_

_Neal and Sara exchanged excited looks. It was hard to imagine what that moment would be like, the moment when they finally arrived at the hospital for the birth of their daughter..._

_All the rooms were in a semi circle around the nurses’ station making it easy for them to go from room to room and there was a comfortable waiting area for family members._

_‘The birthing rooms are just like your bedroom at home’ Rhonda said. ‘That is, you can decide who is with you at all times. The only exception being if the doctor requests the room be cleared in case of an emergency situation.’_

_Neal raised his eyebrows at Sara with a look that said ‘_ that better not be us _’._

_The tour ended with tea and cookies and an opportunity to ask questions of the head of nursing._

_‘So, great rooms, huh?’ Neal said as they walked out._

_‘Yeah, love those birthing rooms. So, I guess we can have people in there with us if we want. What do you think?’ she asked, gauging Neal’s reaction._

_‘It’s up to you. Do you want people in with us for the birth itself?’_

_‘I don’t know… maybe not the birth itself but it would be nice to be surrounded by people during labour. Dr.Cooper says it could take several hours.’_

_‘Well, let’s play it by ear, then’ said Neal holding the door open for Sara._

WCWCWC

5:39 p.m.

Neal arrived at the nurses’ station and introduced himself, asking about Sara’s whereabouts. She had been assigned one of the birthing rooms, the one closest to the waiting area and Neal lost no time walking over to find her.

When he walked into the room, Sara was standing by the bed with her suitcase open in front of her and Neal thought she looked just beautiful from this angle with her belly as large as it was ever going to be.

She turned and waddled over to him and straight into his open arms.

‘I’m so glad you’re here’ she murmured in his ear.

‘Where else would I possibly be?’ he replied as he took her face in his hands and kissed her hello. 

Elizabeth cleared her throat and Neal noticed she was sitting nearby in one of the rocking chairs.

‘Hi El. Thanks for getting her here. I hope it wasn’t too hectic.’

‘She’s been a model patient so far’ said Elizabeth, standing up.‘Is Peter with you?’

‘Yeah, he’s just parking the car.’

‘I think I’ll go find him’ said Elizabeth as she walked over to give Sara a pat on the arm. ‘You okay now that Neal’s here?’

‘Yes’ Sara said with emphasis. ‘Thanks Elizabeth. You’re not leaving, are you?’ she asked a little more desperate than she meant to sound.

‘Are you kidding? Our goddaughter is about to be born. I’ll just give you some time alone and we’ll be back in a little while’ she said as she headed for the door.

‘Here, sit down’ Neal said as he led Sara over to the bed. ‘So tell me what’s going on.’

She looked tired but her eyes sparkled and her lips gave off an easy smile. ‘It’s really happening Neal’ she said. ‘Dr. Cooper says I’m dilated three centimetres.’

Although she was calm, Neal knew her well enough to know that her little tirade over the phone was just a sampling of how high strung she might become before this was all over. He steeled himself for several hours of Sara Ellis style outbursts as she dealt in her own way with the pain and discomfort of giving birth.

She almost read it in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry about screaming on the phone.’

He shrugged. ‘It’s okay.’

‘I shouldn’t take it out on you… it’s not your fault’ she said, rubbing her belly. ‘Well, technically, it’s _all_ your fault but you know what I mean.’

‘It’s okay’ he repeated. ‘I promise not to take anything you say personally over the next few hours.’

’Well, you can take _this_ personally’ she said, lacing her arms around his neck. ‘I am so happy I’m having this baby with you. So please forgive me if I say anything to the contrary before this is over.’

‘I promise’ he said. ‘Don’t hold back, if yelling at me helps you deal with the pain… I can take it.’

She laughed but almost immediately her face contorted as she let out a loud shout.

‘Oh, shit!’ she cried out. ‘Here’s another one!’

She pushed herself off the bed and stood, legs wide apart as she held onto the edge of he bed.

Neal was taken by surprise by the sudden change in mood and he stood, fidgeting as he tried to figure out how best to help. 

’What do you need?’ he asked as she latched on to his arms and leaned forward.

‘Just… stand there’ she said breathlessly. ‘And shut the fuck up.’

WCWCWC

Elizabeth found Peter roaming around the lobby, not sure where he was meant to go. 

‘Hey hon’ she said approaching him.

‘Hey’ he replied, hugging her. ‘How’s Sara doing?’

‘Well, she’s Sara, she’s outspoken and she’s in pain so you can pretty well figure out the rest.’

Peter laughed. ‘So what are we supposed to do? Do we hang around the waiting room and wait for the blessed event?’

‘Actually, Sara’s in what’s called a birthing room. It’s more casual than a regular hospital room and people can be in there with her.’

She studied Peter’s face and waited for the inevitable reaction.

‘And by people, you mean… us?’ he asked with a frown.

Elizabeth nodded.

‘So, we can… be in there while she’s in labour, like having contractions?’ he said slowly as the implications dawned on him.

‘Honey, she could be in labour for hours. There are a couple of comfy chairs in there and a table and chairs. We can play it by ear… whatever Sara and Neal are comfortable with. You okay with that?’

‘You mean, I could be in the room with her _while_ she’s having contractions?’ repeated Peter, seemingly needing even more clarification.

‘She’s already having contractions’ El explained. ‘And she will be until the time comes for her to push.’

Peter made a face as if he’d tasted something particularly bitter.

‘Look honey, you don’t have to be in there if you don’t want to be. But this is Sara and Neal and they’re our best friends and to be honest, Neal might need your support because unlike you, he doesn’t get to leave when things get uncomfortable. Plus, Sara doesn’t have a mom or a sister to be with her… I want to be there if she need me.’

‘Okay’ said Peter ever so slowly. ‘I’ll give it a go.’

‘Honey, if you can’t manage, no one will judge you. I know this isn’t the most comfortable of situations but think about it. Sara’s about to give birth to our goddaughter.’

Peter smiled at that – this he could comprehend.

WCWCWC

Sara’s contraction ended and she straightened up, the tension slowly dissipating from her face. Neal, on the other hand was as pale as a sheet. He knew this little game of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would likely last for hours and he reminded himself that he needed to take his cue from Sara and let her decide what made her most comfortable.

‘You want to sit while I unpack your suitcase?’ he asked.

She gave him a deathly stare and proceeded to take a few things from the overnight bag, placing them in the cupboard by the bed.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked, concerned.

‘Neal, we’re going to be at this for a while and I don’t want you hovering. I need to move around.Remember what Dr. Cooper said – to do whatever feels right during contractions. I’m sure as hell not lying in this bed for the next twelve hours.’

‘You’re right’ Neal said with a decisive nod. He reached for the pitcher of water on the nearby table. ‘Are you thirsty?’

‘I would kill for some ginger ale’ she replied.

‘Sure’ he said. ‘I can do that. How about I make a few phone calls and let people know we’re here? June made me promise to keep her posted.’

‘Okay. Just… tell them it’s too early for them to come down. We’ll let them know when it’s time’ she said, once again taking charge.

The door opened and Dr. Cooper walked in, clipboard in hand.‘Hello you two’ she called out. ‘How are we doing, young lady?’

‘You tell me’ replied Sara.

‘Let’s have another quick peek’ she said, guiding Sara back to the bed.

‘I was just going to go across the hall and get Sara something to drink’ Neal said, pointing towards the door.

‘Perfect’ said Dr. Cooper. ‘See you in a minute.’

Neal stepped out and exhaled. It was going to be a rough ride, even more so for Sara. He needed to remain calm and try to pick up on her cues - luckily this was Sara and subtlety wasn’t her strong suit. Chances were she would leave no room for doubt when expressing her needs. He crossed over to the small kitchenette where snacks and drinks were kept for patients on the maternity ward and grabbed a couple of drinks as well as a muffin in case Sara got hungry. Dr. Cooper had warned that she could be in labour for several hours as she inched her way to being fully dilated and with the intensity of what he’d just witnessed, Neal worried she would run out of energy before it was time to start pushing. They’d discussed the possibility of an epidural and Sara had been quite categoric she didn’t want one, wanting to remain in control throughout. Neal was already second guessing that decision.

She was sitting up with Dr. Cooper by her side when he returned.

‘Good news’ the doctor told the couple. ‘You’ve gained another centimetre so keep it up.’

She placed her hand on Sara’s. ‘Now listen to me young lady. You do whatever you need to do to work through those contractions. I know you’ve been practicing with the birth ball at home so don’t hesitate to use it. It really helps. And I encourage you to use the hot tub, that’ll help too.’

She glanced at Neal who was listening intently then back at Sara. ‘And don’t be a hero. There’s no harm in changing your mind and having an epidural if this goes on too long.’

Sara nodded but Neal knew her mind was made up. He felt utterly useless. The woman he lovedwould be in intense pain over the next little while and he was used to being able to make her smile on demand by turning on the Caffrey charm full blast. He suspected his usual magic wouldn’t cut it this time.

‘I’ll be back to check on you in a little while’ Dr. Cooper said as she walked away.

WCWCWC

8:02 p.m.

The contractions were coming fast and furious, more intense and more regularly than before. Between each painful episode, Sara moved around the room, sometimes sitting at the table to join Elizabeth who was working on a jigsaw puzzle or in the rocking chair, with her head thrown back while she rested her eyes. Meanwhile, Peter was coming in and out of the room, still not certain where he fit into this uncomfortable scenario. He worked on his crossword puzzle, glancing nervously as Sara went from perfectly calm to screaming banshee without warning. On a couple of occasions, he’d slipped out of the room unseen while Neal and Elizabeth held Sara’s trembling body, squatting and rocking on the birthing ball. Peter had once described Sara Ellis as a tornado in heels and in this unusual setting, she continued to display her trademark determination as she screamed defiantly and stood up to one contraction after another.

The room had grown quiet as Sara and Neal curled up on the bed and the Burkes sat nearby, waiting for the next bomb to hit when Sara hopped off the bed and began pacing the room like a mad woman, her hand on her back.

‘You okay?’ Neal asked as he tracked her movements with his eyes.

She glared at him while Peter and Elizabeth observed silently from the sidelines. ‘No Neal, I am NOT okay’ she shrieked. ‘I’m trying to work a basketball out of my yahoo and it hurts like hell.’

Peter and El’s eyes met and she gave her husband a discreet head nod towards the door.

‘We’re going to go get coffee’ she said as she rose with Peter close behind. ‘Can we bring you back anything?’

Sara ignored the question and Neal shook his head, giving the Burkes an apologetic smile.

‘Do you think I scared them?’ Sara asked once they were alone.

There was that uncanny sense of humour Neal loved so much. ‘Naw, I think they enjoy being yelled at’ he replied deadpan.

Sara chuckled as she felt tears welling up and Neal walked over to where she stood.

‘Neal, this baby is never going to come’ she moaned as she threw herself in his arms.

He rubbed her back as he held her, feeling totally incompetent. ‘I think I like it better when you’re screaming’ he murmured in her ear as she began to laugh through the tears.

‘Oh shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!’ she cried out as she pulled out of his embrace and squatted down, letting out a primal scream he’d thought her incapable of producing.

He crouched in front of her, offering his arms to keep her steady and she grabbed on to them, her nails sinking into his forearm as he winced in pain. She began to bounce up and down as she worked through the worst of it.

‘Breathe baby, breathe’ he said as he began mimicking short, staccato breaths.

She followed his lead, letting out a groan that resonated all the way to the nursing station and served to summon the young nurse who’d been assigned to her.

‘Easy, easy’ said Karen as she brought the birthing ball closer and helped Sara settle on in. She began to rock back and forth as she moaned, a repetitive lament that lasted almost a minute. Once the contraction had passed, Sara fell to the floor, exhausted, legs wide open as Neal rushed to settle in behind her.

‘I’ve got you Repo, I’ve got you’ he murmured as he held her from behind, keeping her body from totally collapsing. 

‘I’ll go get Dr. Cooper’ said the nurse. ‘She’ll want to see how you’re doing.’

With some difficulty, Neal helped Sara to her feet, guiding her over to the bed where she crumpled, totally drained.

‘My back is killing me’ she complained as if the fight had gone out of her. With each passing contraction, she was getting more and more weary and consequently more discouraged.

‘Do you want me to rub it for you?’ he asked.

‘No…’ she said, squirming on the bed. ‘I need to pee.’

‘Come on’ Neal said, reaching out to help her stand. He supported her into the bathroom where she settled on the toilet facing backwards and draped her body over the tank as she sighed - another one of the tricks she’d been taught in pre-natal class.

‘That feels better’ she moaned as she stretched out her back.

Karen stood in the doorway with a couple of towels hanging off her arm. ‘Dr. Cooper’s helping deliver another baby, she’ll be in as soon as she’s done. How about, in the meantime, I fill the hot tub for you? That might help with your back.’

Sara gave a weak nod and Karen disappeared into the main room to get things ready.

‘Neal…’ she murmured, her voice quiet.

He took a step closer, squatting down to face her. ‘What is it baby?’

‘Neal, I’m scared. I’m scared I’m never going to be able to push her out. She’s going to be stuck inside me for the rest of my life.’

He did his best to stifle a laugh. ‘I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen’ he said, rubbing her back as he spoke.

Sara stared at him, bleary-eyed. ‘I hope she has your eyes’ she said with a weak smile.

He smiled back. ‘I hope she has your brains and determination’ he countered.

‘Will you come into the hot tub with me?’ she asked feebly.

‘Of course I’ll come into the hot tub with you’ he replied as she sighed, relieved.

WCWCWC

8:20 p.m.

When Peter and Elizabeth returned, they found the door to Sara’s room closed.

‘They’re in the hot tub’ one of the nurses explained as the Burkes settled in the waiting area.

Inside, Neal sat with Sara leaning back against his chest, snoring loudly. He couldn’t believe she’d actually fallen asleep. The warm jets coupled with the relaxing music had lulled her into a state of relaxation he hadn’t seen since he’d first arrived. He took a couple of cleansing breaths, his mind turning to the next few hours. Soon, Sara would be moving on to the second stage of labour, the actual delivery. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that her big round belly would soon deliver a live baby girl, their long-awaited daughter.

Until recently, having a family had never even crossed Neal’s mind and here he was, hours from becoming a dad. The thought overwhelmed him as he felt his breath quiver. Sara let out a soft moan which grew louder as she woke, disoriented. They were off to the races once more.

WCWCWC

9:05 p.m.

‘Dr. Cooper says she’s up to seven centimetres but it could still be another couple of hours’ Neal said as he stood with the Burkes outside Sara’s hospital room door. ‘If you guys prefer to go home… I could call you later.’

He glanced nervously over his shoulder, checking that Sara was still napping.

Peter brought his hand to rest on Neal’s shoulder. ’Are you kidding? My goddaughter’s about to be born and I want to be the first to see her.’

At this, Neal smiled, visibly relieved to have both Peter and Elizabeth sticking with them until the very end.

‘Neal!’ they heard, coming from inside the room.

The three of them stepped in, finding Sara struggling to sit up.

‘Another one?’ Neal asked as he made his way over to her.

But she was already in the throes of it and unable to sit up properly. She just lay there on the bed, writhing and moaning as Neal reached for her hand.

‘Hang on baby, hang on’ he said. ‘Almost done.’

She looked up at him, her face tight, her eyes narrow and her teeth gritted. She looked absolutely miserable and Neal flashed back to that day they’d reconnected outside of Montebello’s, the day she’d recovered that Mercedes SLR from right under his nose. She’d been so well put together with her four inch stiletto heels, her designer suit and her signature baton. Although he’d done his best to remain aloof, the truth was the unexpected sight of her had taken his breath away. In contrast, she stared up at him with her sweaty hair sticking to her forehead, clad in an old sweatshirt of his and looking perfectly miserable as she prepared to bring their daughter into the world. Thinking back on everything that had transpired since that first day, Neal couldn’t help but reflect that, in this state of total disarray, Sara was even more beautiful than she’d been that day. 

‘I’m gonna throw up’ she muttered as Neal reached for the utility bowl nearby just in time to avoid a mess. Her stomach lurched as Neal rubbed her back, holding her up.

Peter and El watched from a distance, humbled by the sight that was playing out before their eyes.

‘Here, take a sip’ Neal said as he held a glass of water to Sara’s lips.

She smiled meekly and let her body fall on the bed, exhausted. Neal’s heart broke at the sight of her.

WCWCWC

10:18 p.m.

Another visit from Dr. Cooper brought on some encouraging news. Upon examination, she confirmed that Sara had dilated a further centimetre, news that wasn’t all that well received by the mother-to-be.

‘Is that all?’ she cried, totally discouraged. ‘Dr. Cooper, I can’t do this anymore.’ 

The good doctor picked up on a look of panic in Neal’s eyes. ’Neal, could you leave us alone for a moment?’ she said.

‘I’ll be right back’ he said, kissing her forehead before exiting.

He walked straight into Peter and Elizabeth who’d been waiting in the hallway. Elizabeth took one look at Neal and recognized the look sheer panic in his eyes.

‘Why don’t you two go get a coffee. I’ll sit with Sara for a while’ she said, winking at Peter.

‘But what if she needs me?’ said Neal, barely audibly.

‘We’ll send for you. Go, take a few minutes, it’ll do you both good’ Elizabeth insisted, hand on his arm.

He gave one last look in Sara’s direction; she was deep in discussion with Dr. Cooper. El was right, the walls were closing in, it would do him good to stretch his legs. The two men headed for the cafeteria and Peter grabbed a shell shocked Neal by the shoulder and steered him towards a nearby table. 

‘How are you holding up?’ Peter asked as he added cream to his coffee.

Neal didn’t answer at first, just looked up at Peter with a vacant look in his eyes.

‘I had no idea it was going to be this hard’ he said. ‘I can’t stand seeing her like this.’

‘Neal, you’re losing your focus, here. Your beautiful baby girl is coming any minute now. You have to remember that and try to help Sara focus her energies on that.’

‘You’re right, you’re right’ repeated Neal with a head nod. ‘You know, I can’t believe women go through this every day all over the world. I’ve always thought of Sara as the strongest woman I know but I had no idea just how strong she really is.’

‘Well, she needs you right now. She needs you to stay positive and remind her that in a little while you’re going to be holding your daughter and all this will be behind you.’

Neal nodded but didn’t say anything. Finally, he looked up and his eyes suddenly seemed clear and focussed.

‘Thanks Peter. I’m okay. I want to go back’ he said.

This time when they entered the room, the mood was relaxed. Sara sat in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth as she and Elizabeth chatted. Neal walked up to her and crouched down, smiling as he took her hand. She gave him a weak smile in return and he wiped a single tear from her cheek.  
  
‘You’re amazing’ he whispered.

WCWCWC

11:51 p.m.

Time passed and Sara continued to fluctuate between being incredibly focussed and wanting to give up. The pain was wearing her down and at this point, Neal became increasingly concerned that she would not have enough energy left when the time came to push.

He slipped out of the room to have a quiet word with Karen as Elizabeth walked up and down the hallway with Sara. During their pre-natal classes, there’d been a lot of discussion about epidurals, the pros and cons. Although Sara had expressed a clear preference not to have one, Neal knew that there was a limit to how much pain she could reasonably be expected to endure before her energy was all sapped up. He wanted to get Karen’s advice.

‘Dr. Cooper discussed it with her’ she told Neal. ‘She’s still adamant she doesn’t want one.’

‘But she still has a couple of centimetres to go and she’s totally exhausted. She needs to get some sleep.’

Karen looked up and nodded. ‘You can try again but no one can make the decision for her’ she reminded him.

When Elizabeth and Sara returned from their little walk, Sara was having another monster contraction and she decided she needed to ride this one out by getting on all fours and having a good old fashioned shriek. Peter, who'd been sitting reading, discreetly got up to leave the room and Neal settled in on the floor beside Sara, talking her through although she wasn’t very appreciative of his efforts and told him so in no uncertain terms.

It was almost midnight and June and Mozzie had arrived and were settled in the waiting room with the Burkes when Neal decided to make one last appeal at getting Sara to take an epidural. It was as much for him as it was for her, considering his nerves were shot from watching her suffer without any relief in sight.

They settled on the bed, spooning, while Sara worked at getting her breathing under control.

‘I think we should talk about the epidural’ he whispered in her ear.

She groaned. ‘Neal, we’ve been through this.’

‘Babe, the doctor explained that there are advantages to having it. You might be at this another hour or two and maybe you could sleep and build some energy for later.’

She didn’t cut him off this time, which Neal took as a good sign.

‘But it can cause low blood pressure and it can make it harder to push.’

Neal knew the arguments, they’d discussed them fully and he’d been happy to support her decision to abstain but now, seeing her like this, barely able to function… well, it had him second guessing their decision.

‘But you've been at it for almost eight hours and that’s what epidurals are for, so you can get some pain relief and some rest.’

She looked over her shoulder, trying to establish eye contact and Neal propped himself up on his elbow so he could better look into her eyes.

‘Do you think I should?’ she asked meekly.

‘Sara, I only want what’s best for you but ultimately only you can decide. I think it would help you get through the next little while.’

‘But I’ll have to lie in bed to push and everybody knows that’s not the best position.’

He listened, weighing the pros and cons as they’d done before. Suddenly, the pained look on her face reappeared and he hopped off the bed, moving to the other side so he could help her sit up. This time there were tears in her eyes and she let out some colourful expletives and strange noises that ripped at Neal’s heart. Once the contraction had passed, she looked up at him, totally done in.

‘Okay, let’s do it.’

Once the decision was made, it took but a few minutes for an anesthesiologist to appear and Sara was instructed to sit up on the edge of the bed while the catheter was inserted. Neal stood before her, holding her hands and cringing although Sara barely reacted to the prick as the needle was inserted into her lower back.

‘I want you to lie down for a few minutes’ the doctor explained as he adjusted the blood pressure cuff on her arm.

‘Can I move around?’ Sara asked.

‘You need to stay on the bed for now but if you want, we can lower the level of medication and you can walk around a little.’

Even though the meds didn’t really kick in for fifteen or twenty minutes, Neal saw a change in her almost immediately. He lay beside her, running his hand through her hair as he watched her start to relax.

‘You’re beautiful, you know that?’ he hummed as she rolled her eyes.

‘Caffrey, you are _so_ full of shit’ she replied playfully, the Sara he knew and loved peeking through the pain.

‘Feeling better?’ he asked.

‘Maybe it’s all in my head…’ she said, her voice trailing. Her eyelids grew heavy and within minutes, she had fallen into a restful sleep.

And so had Neal.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Saturday, 1:43 a.m.

‘Sara, listen to me’ said Dr. Cooper, trying to get her young patient’s attention. ‘It’s time to push again.’

Sara nodded, incapable of talking. Neal was positioned behind her on the bed, propping her up so she could sit up straight and push more efficiently. He was holding both her hands and she was squeezing so tight, he thought he’d heard several small knuckle bones crack.

‘You’re doing it, Sara’ he said in her ear as she began to push with all her strength.

‘Okay, now stop and breathe’ said Dr. Cooper after a few seconds.

She let herself fall back against Neal and moaned softly. 

‘You’re doing great Sara. A couple more like that and the head will be out. Can you do one more for me right now?’ Dr. Cooper asked as she coaxed the mother-to-be along.

From behind her, Neal’s voice was growing unsteady. ‘You hear that Repo, you’re almost there.'

‘It hurts’ she shouted and the sound of her voice cut through him like a knife.

‘I know it hurts, but this baby only has one way out’ said the doctor. ‘You’re almost done. Don’t give up now.’

Sara took a deep breath and exhaled with all her might, letting out a wail that came from deep inside as she pushed as hard as she possibly could. She could feel Neal behind her, holding her up and keeping her from completely collapsing.

‘Very good’ said Dr. Cooper, encouraging her. ‘Look in the mirror. See? That’s the top of her head. Oh, she’s got her daddy’s dark hair’ she added, by way of incentive to keep Sara’s spirits up. 

‘All right’ she continued, a veritable one woman cheering section. ‘I need you to go again, Sara. This is the hardest part, I promise.’

Sara nodded and sat up again, groaning and letting out this guttural noise that frightened Neal as he held on to her for dear life. She’d been pushing for about thirty seconds when Dr. Cooper instructed her to stop. Neal could see the doctor glancing repeatedly at the monitor which measured the baby’s heart rate and blood flow. Why was she checking that thing constantly? Was there something wrong?

Not wanting to alarm Sara, he refrained from asking but it became apparent there was some sort of problem when Dr. Cooper next spoke.

‘Sara, I’m going to need you to push again, your baby needs more oxygen and we need to get her out as fast as we can, okay?’

‘What?’ said Sara, alarmed and seemingly disoriented.

‘It’s okay babe, let’s just do what the doctor says’ Neal said with a calmness that belied his growing anxiety. ‘You can do this, come on, I’ll push with you – come on, let’s take a deep breath.’

His reassuring tone seemed to have the desired effect and she took a giant breath of air as she mimicked him and began to push with all her might.

‘There we go’ said Dr. Cooper. ‘Good one, the head’s out.’

Neal could see the dark head of hair in the mirror that had been installed for them and he immediately felt a rush of excitement. His breathing grew uneven and he feared that if he tried to speak, he might start sobbing.

‘Okay, Sara, one more huge push so we can get the shoulders out and you’re all done. You can do this’ said Dr. Cooper.

Neal braced himself to support her as she took another giant gulp of air to see her through the final push.

‘You’re doing it Sara, you’re amazing’ he said as tears began to sting his eyes.

At long last, the baby slipped out and Karen was nearby to scoop her up and lay her on a nearby towel. She suctioned her little mouth and within seconds they heard her take her first breath and begin to cry.

Neal and Sara stared with astonishment at the sight of their newborn daughter as she was placed on Sara’s belly for both of them to see. Sara began sobbing, this time with joy and relief and Neal joined her, overcome by emotion at the moment they’d both been waiting for so long.

Dr. Cooper looked up at the happy couple as she held up the surgical scissors. ’Would you like to cut the cord, Dad?’ she asked Neal. 

He wiggled out from behind Sara and facing her, he saw her relaxed face looking down at their daughter for the first time and he knew for certain his life would never be the same again. He muddled through the cutting of the umbilical cord with a little help from the nurse and the baby was wiped down and put in Sara’s arms for the first time. Neal could feel himself shaking as he climbed back up onto the bed next to Sara and put his arm around his new family.

‘I can’t believe this is really happening’ said Sara, softly. Neal stared, hypnotized by the sight of his baby girl, so tiny, yet so complete. 

‘She’s beautiful’ he finally said, in a trance. ‘We did this, you and me, it’s incredible!’

WCWCWC 

2:15 a.m.

Neal stepped out into the waiting room, surprised to find the group of well wishers had grown with the arrival of Clinton Jones and Diana Berrigan. As he appeared, they all turned towards him expectantly and seeing the wide grin on his face, everyone relaxed as they waited for him to say the words they’d all been waiting to hear.

‘Would you all like to come and meet our daughter’ Neal finally said.

There were cries of joy from everyone present and they all paraded into the room, one by one following Neal who was leading the way. As the door opened, Sara saw their friends and family walk in, giving them the brightest smile they’d ever seen. In her arms, was the baby that everyone had been waiting for.

The group gathered around the little family, eager to welcome Neal and Sara’s daughter to the fold.She lay quietly in her mother’s arms, then her dad’s and finally she was passed around, first to her godparents, and then to all the well-wishers who found themselves there in the early morning hours of a Saturday morning in late March.

Sara was exhausted but both she and Neal had that goofy new parent grin on their faces that just wouldn’t fade and probably wouldn’t for a long, long time.

At seven pounds, four ounces, baby Ellis-Caffrey was a good size, strong yet dainty – just like her mother. She had scored a nine out of ten on the APGAR which was reason enough for her parents to gloat, something they expected to be doing a great deal of in the years to come. She had a full head of dark hair like her dad’s and her eyes were crystal blue although it was impossible to know if they would remain that colour. The shape of her eyes and her forehead were reminiscent of her mother’s although her nose and mouth looked more like Neal’s. One thing was for certain, with parents as strong as the two of them, she was going to be her own person and not a carbon copy of either one of them.

Elizabeth, proud godmother, grew emotional when the baby was placed in her arms. In light of her long time struggle with infertility, Sara feared the baby’s arrival might be the cause of unease for her but quite the opposite was true. Once the baby was passed on to his godfather, Elizabeth Burke leaned in to hug the new mother.

‘I am _so_ happy for you and I’m so excited to be a part of your baby’s life’ she said.

Peter was more restrained in his reaction but he held his goddaughter like a natural and he got slightly choked up as he looked over at Neal. ‘You did good, kid’ he said, his voice trembling. 

He kissed the baby’s forehead and smelled her new baby scent, realizing the enormity of the role he would be playing in her life.

When June’s turn came, her eyes filled with tears. Neal was the closest thing she had to a son and their relationship had truly blossomed over the past few years. In fact, she knew things about him that no one else knew and she’d been secretly hoping for a while now that he would find a way to have the happiness he so richly deserved. The thought of having this little one in her home, even in the short term, filled her with joy.

Uncle Mozzie, who hated hospitals more than all of them put together, sat patiently waiting his turn and didn’t complain once. He also had a goofy smile on his face as he looked at his long-time buddy, bursting with pride. Maybe he’d been wrong about ‘forever not being for guys like them’.He wouldn’t mind being wrong just this once as long as Neal didn’t go totally establishment on him.

‘There are going to be some tired people at the office, tomorrow’ said Peter looking at Diana and Jones.

‘It’s worth it’ said Diana as she held the little one. She and Christie had been talking about having a baby of their own and she seemed particularly reflective as she gazed down at the little one. 

Jones, who seemed slightly ill at ease when the baby was handed to him, looked down at her and smiled, showing a gentle side that wasn’t always apparent on a day to day basis.

What was it about a baby that made everyone giddy, hopeful and optimistic about the future? If only this feeling could be bottled up and sold, a fortune could be made.

After a while, the inevitable question of a name for the baby came up. 

Neal and Sara glanced knowingly at each other. They’d had many discussions on the topic but now that they had seen her beautiful face, it had become all too clear. Their newborn daughter represented a promise of a new beginning and a brighter future for both of them and her name reflected that.

Neal took his daughter in his arms and walked back to the bed where he sat next to Sara, both of them beaming from ear to ear. 

‘We would like you all to meet Hope Elizabeth Ellis-Caffrey’ said Neal.

There was a round of applause as Elizabeth let out a gasp of pure joy and surprise.

The White Collar family had grown to include a new generation, Neal and Sara’s daughter likely the first of many more little ones to come.

After everyone had gone home, the new parents settled in for a couple of hours sleep with their newborn daughter before being sent home to start their new life. The nurse had already been in to help coach Sara with breastfeeding techniques and Hope had begun to get the hang of it and had taken a small amount of milk. She slept peacefully in Sara’s arms as her parents gazed at her, reluctant to put her down. Sara finally handed Hope over to her daddy who placed her in the bassinet by the bed as they both lay down facing in her direction so they could continue to admire her.

Neal curled up behind Sara and spoke softly in her ear. ’You were amazing’ he murmured. ‘Look at what you did… she’s perfect.’ 

Sara turned to look in his eyes. ‘She is. Neal, I couldn’t have done it without you.’

He kissed her cheek, his eyes returning to the little miracle sleeping peacefully nearby. After a while, despite their best intentions, their eyes drifted shut and they fell asleep to the sound of their daughter’s breathing.

And although they had come to the end of this adventure, they were about to embark on a new one.

No longer a couple but a family.

La fin


End file.
